INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Members' Staff: Training

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority how many hon. Members have had their staff trained by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in the operation of its systems.

Charles Walker: As of 8 July 2010 approximately 400 Members' staff have been trained in the operation of online expenses system.

Members: Bank Services

Ann McKechin: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority what the policy of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority is on the disclosure of bank account details submitted to the Authority by hon. Members.

Charles Walker: The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) does not propose to publish account details submitted by MPs, including the MP's own account details, or those of their staff. This includes the details of bank accounts, mortgage, insurance or utility account numbers, and account numbers provided on individual invoices.
	In accordance with the requirements of the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, IPSA launched a consultation on its publication proposals on 16 June 2010. The consultation closed on 7 July 2010 and IPSA's finalised policy will be published before Parliament's summer recess.

Members: Finance

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority how many hon. Members have  (a) supplied and  (b) not supplied the details required to use the online financial system operated by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Charles Walker: As of 8 July 2010, 639 Members have provided the required details to receive the RSA token, which enables them to use the online expenses system. 485 Members have logged on to the system and registered their intent to claim.

Members: Security

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority 
	(1)  what advice on the security implications of IPSA's publication proposals was obtained by IPSA before the launch of the consultation on the proposals;
	(2)  whether the security advice issued to hon. Members was taken into account by IPSA in drawing up its publication proposals for consultation.

Charles Walker: The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is aware of the security advice issued to hon. Members and takes the security concerns of MPs and their staff very seriously.
	IPSA has met the Information Commissioner's Office and the Parliamentary Security Co-ordinator to discuss security issues, including the impact of our publication scheme. Following this advice, IPSA does not propose to publish MPs' sensitive personal data, or any information about the time of any journeys made. It stands prepared to respond to security concerns should they arise in any specific individual circumstances.

Members: Training

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority how many hon. Members have participated in training sessions offered by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Charles Walker: As of 8 July 2010, 642 Members have completed the relevant training sessions offered by IPSA.

Members: Travel

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority how many hon. Members have  (a) applied for and  (b) received travel cards from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Charles Walker: As of 8 July 2010, 640 MPs have ordered travel cards from IPSA by completing a Member's details form.
	Of these, 182 Members have yet to collect their cards. The cards can be collected from the IPSA Documentation Centre at 1 Parliament street, which is open every day from 09.00 to 13.00 and 14.00-16.00, until 31 July 2010.

Telephone Services

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority whether the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) plans to publish a list of telephone numbers and names of relevant IPSA officials who may be contacted by hon. Members on all issues regarding their staffing, office and travel costs.

Charles Walker: IPSA has established an information line for MPs to contact its Support Services Team, who will take queries regarding MPs' staffing, office and travel costs. The telephone number for the information line is 020 7811 6400. Any IPSA official on the information line will be able to assist Members with their queries and will have access to records of their previous questions. IPSA regards this as a more effective approach to providing advice than publishing individual telephone numbers.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) injuries and  (b) fatalities incurred by the Taliban attributable to the actions of British forces in the last 12 months.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence and the International Security Assistance Force do not maintain an overall estimate of the number of insurgents killed in Afghanistan. To collect and verify such information is extremely difficult given the nature of the conflict, and the risks involved would outweigh the benefits of obtaining the information. There is also no reliable method to calculate the number of insurgents killed.
	The long-term strategy for defeating the insurgency in Afghanistan is not as a purely military campaign but rather through a wide range of military and non-military activities. As such, the number of insurgents killed or injured during the campaign does not provide a useful measure of success.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-combat vehicles are rented by each of the armed services.

Peter Luff: The UK White Fleet contract accounts for approximately 90% of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) short-term hires made in the UK. The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  Top level budget  Total number hires FY 2009-10 
			 Air Command 19,960 
			 Chief Joint Operations 5,413 
			 Defence Equipment & Support 50,534 
			 Defence Estates 6,224 
			 Land Forces 85,033 
			 Navy Command 26,075 
			 The Central TLB 25,769 
			 Trading Funds 295 
			 Total 219,302 
		
	
	The number of short-term hires through the British Forces Germany White Fleet contract was 17,527. In addition, short-term overseas hires booked through MOD's Defence Travel Cell for the financial year 2009-10 amounted to 4,787.
	It is not possible to break down the numbers of short term hires on a per service basis, as bookings are made using civilian titles for security reasons.
	Hires through Government Procurement Cards, MOD agencies such as the Defence Support Group, Met Office and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and overseas dependencies fall outside the scope of White Fleet contracts and have separate local arrangements. These details are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Colombia: Military Aid

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been budgeted for military aid to Colombia in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) future years; and whether it is included in his current review of spending.

Nick Harvey: The only military aid we provide to Colombia is for the ongoing programme of counter-narcotics assistance. It would not be appropriate to provide details about this programme, as to do so would prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Department and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Department.

Liam Fox: Two civil servants are employed to assist with speeches for Ministers across the Department.

Historical Enquiries Team

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made an assessment of the findings of the Historical Enquiries Team report on the death of William McGreanery; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: holding answer 8 July 2010
	No. The Historical Enquiries Team is independent of Government and provides reports to the families, not Government. Consequently, I have not seen the full report.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the case of Amantullah Ali, a Pakistani National arrested by British troops in the Basra area in February 2004, what steps are being taken in line with the UK's responsibilities under international conventions to ensure his proper treatment.

Liam Fox: In answering this question I have assumed that the right hon. Member's question refers to the two Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba members who were captured by British forces in Baghdad in February 2004, transferred to US detention in accordance with normal practice at the time and then transferred to Afghanistan by the US.
	The Ministry of Defence maintains an ongoing dialogue with US colleagues on a range of detention-related matters, including the two Pakistani individuals referred to. The most recent contact of this nature occurred in May 2009. I can also confirm that the US provides access to the two individuals by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of plans for the future of Operation Telic; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: Operation Telic has evolved through a number of separate phases since the start of operations in 2003. Initial high-intensity war fighting soon transitioned to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, and in 2009 there was a fundamental change of mission to training and mentoring. Planning for the future of Operation Telic is the subject of ongoing work but the partnership between the UK and Iraq will continue to be strengthened through co-operation in a range of areas including the economy, culture, commerce, education and defence. It is clearly in the UK's interest to continue to develop a strong bilateral relationship with Iraq and in support of this we will look to build on our long tradition of defence co-operation. The nature and timing of such co-operation will depend on the wishes and approval of the Iraqi Parliament.

Military Bases: Safety

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy in the Library of the scoping report which was based on the Haddon-Cave Nimrod review and was presented to the Defence Environment and Safety Board at its meeting of 25 February 2010.

Liam Fox: holding answer 16 June 2010
	No. I am withholding the report as it relates to the development of Government policy.

Trident

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Investment Approvals Board to consider the report of the Initial Gate review for the Trident replacement programme; whether he plans to publish that report; and what opportunities hon. Members will have to scrutinise that report.

Liam Fox: We are currently planning for Initial Gate decision towards the end of 2010, following consideration by the Investment Approvals Board in the autumn. It is not normal for Parliament to be involved in Initial Gate decisions for procurement projects. I do, however, propose to update Parliament on progress after the Initial Gate decision through the publication of a report.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission is undertaking work together with the Office for National Statistics on increasing the accuracy of estimates of the number of  (a) eligible voters in the UK and  (b) the number of such people not on the electoral register.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it is currently working with the Office for National Statistics, the General Register Office for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency to use 2011 Census data to assess the completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers in the UK.
	The aim of this is to provide estimates of the number of eligible voters in the UK and the number of eligible voters not on an electoral register. However, this analysis may not be complete until 2014 because of the length of time taken to make census data available once the collection of information is complete.

WALES

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on televisions in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. Three television sets were purchased between 2000 and 2002, although the costs are not recorded.
	In 2006-07 the Office purchased two television sets at a total cost of £224.16.

Departmental ICT

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on information and communication technology in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. No records are held on expenditure on information and communication technology before 2005-06. Wales Office IT is provided under a contract set up by the Ministry of Justice, and the costs are set out as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 158,869 
			 2006-07 184,618 
			 2007-08 194,753 
			 2008-09 113,595 
			 2009-10 183,988

Departmental Lighting

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on light bulbs in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. From 1999 until 2004 the maintenance of its building in London was undertaken through contracts managed by the National Assembly for Wales, and since then this has been done through Ministry of Justice contracts. Charges made by the Ministry of Justice to the Wales Office do not split costs down to light bulbs. If these figures could be obtained, it would be at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on logo design in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. The only expenditure on logo design was in 2000-01 when £2,728 was spent designing the Wales Office logo.

Departmental Marketing

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on website design in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. In 2007 £10,500 was spent to redesign the Office's English and Welsh websites.
	There are no records of any earlier website design costs.

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which Ministers in her Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

David Jones: This information is not kept on record. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Official Cars

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office.

David Jones: The Wales Office has spent £16,723 on the Government Car Service since the Government took office. My office has cancelled the car contracted for my use in London, thereby halving this Department's previous number of ministerial cars in London. We are currently looking at value for money options for the car used by myself and the Secretary of State in Wales.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on hospitality in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. Records for hospitality go back to 2003-04 and the amounts spent are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 4,565 
			 2004-05 6,238 
			 2005-06 8,528 
			 2006-07 16,467 
			 2007-08 12,052 
			 2008-09 8,058 
			 2009-10 1,945

Departmental Regulation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of her Department's regulations are under review; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The following regulations will be reviewed and updated:
	The National Assembly for Wales (Disqualification) Order 2006
	The National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 2007

Departmental Security

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on security in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. The Wales Office building has since 2008 had 24 hour security owing to its position in Whitehall. Records prior to 2005-06 did not split costs in such a way as to detail the spend on security. The costs from 2005-06 are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 49,082 
			 2006-07 71,506 
			 2007-08 85,021 
			 2008-09 129,887 
			 2009-10 123,859

Departmental Stationery

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on stationery in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. Records do not separate the cost of stationery from the cost of other office supplies, and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on employee awaydays in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. An away day was held in February 2003, but expenditure records for that time did not separate out this cost.
	In 2006-07 an away day held in Swansea cost £9,362
	In 2007-08 an away day held in London cost £15,109
	In 2008-09 an away day held in Cardiff cost £8,672
	Also in 2008-09 policy branch held a team event at a cost of £597.

Departmental Travel

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department has spent on travel for its employees in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. The following amounts have been spent on travel for the Wales Office since July 1999:
	
		
			   £ 
			 1999-2000 35,654 
			 2000-01 86,000 
			 2001-02 105,233 
			 2002-03 125,526 
			 2003-04 112,129 
			 2004-05 112,877 
			 2005-06 114,510 
			 2006-07 103,312 
			 2007-08 135,840 
			 2008-09 150,755 
			 2009-10 182,388 
		
	
	The Wales Office is based in London and Cardiff and staff need to travel between the offices regularly in the course of their duties.

Departmental Travel

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in her Department have been driven by the Government Car Service since the Government took office; and how much each of these persons has received in expenses for use of taxis, buses and underground trains in that period.

David Jones: Both myself and the Secretary of State have had use of cars provided by the Government Car Service since the Government took office. Neither of us has made any claims for taxis, buses or underground trains in that period.
	Officials in the Wales Office do not use the Government Car Service.

Departmental Utilities

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on  (a) electricity,  (b) water,  (c) heating and  (d) telephone services in each year since 1997.

David Jones: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. Records for utilities go back to 2005-06 and the amounts spent are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Electricity  Water  Heating  Telephone 
			 2005-06 4,132 1,569 8,505 18,558 
			 2006-07 5,054 991 15,586 44,868 
			 2007-08 4,007 4,015 13,746 20,208 
			 2008-09 7,416 2,887 6,305 71,237 
			 2009-10 9,730 414 7,140 67,376

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Members: ICT

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission how many hon. Members have  (a) requested and  (b) declined computer equipment provided by PICT in the present Parliament.

Stuart Bell: As of 8 July 2010, 301 Members had requested new ICT equipment from PICT. No Member has yet declined the ICT equipment that PICT has provided.

Plants

Barbara Keeley: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was spent on flowers and plants in the House of Commons in 2009-10; and how much is estimated to be spent in 2010-11.

Stuart Bell: Expenditure on flowers and plants in the House of Commons in 2009-10 was £122,227 and estimated expenditure in 2010-11 is £115,939.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Apples

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of  (a) apples and  (b) apple concentrates was imported to the UK in each of the last 10 years; and what quantity was consumed in each such year.

James Paice: The following table provides details of UK imports of apples as recorded in the Official Overseas Trade Statistics for the period 2000-09.
	Information on UK imports of apple concentrates is not collected.
	
		
			  UK imports of apples, 2000-09 
			  Tonnes 
			   Cider apples  Fresh apples, other than  cider apples  Apples, fresh-t otal 
			 2000 8 473,729 473,737 
			 2001 6 467,787 467,793 
			 2002 33 448,433 448,466 
			 2003 2,468 473,941 476,409 
			 2004 1,161 523,753 524,915 
			 2005 237 520,376 520,613 
			 2006 129 537,924 538,052 
			 2007 404 522,709 523,114 
			 2008 273 477,718 477,992 
			 2009(1) 36 456,077 456,112 
			 (1) 2009 data are subject to amendments.  Note: Data prepared by Trade Statistics, Economics and Statistics Programme, DEFRA.  Source: H M Revenue and Customs 
		
	
	The following table shows the quantity of apples purchased by UK households from 1999 to 2008. Figures from 2009 have not yet been published.
	Information on the household consumption of apple concentrates during this time is not available, and we have no estimate of the quantity of apples going into food manufacturing and catering.
	
		
			  Household purchase of fresh apples 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   1999  2000  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006  2007  2008 
			 Weight (thousand tonnes) 536 575 538 520 516 525 545 548 554 514 
			 g/person/week 174 187 175 172 171 173 179 180 178 162 
			 Tonnes/person/year 0.009 0.010 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.008 
			 Population (thousand) (1)59,139 (1)59,139 59,139 57,990 58,142 58,313 58,473 58,603 59,737 60,816 
			 Thousand tonnes/year 536 575 538 520 516 525 545 548 554 514 
			 (1) Estimated.  Note: The table covers purchases for household supplies by all UK households. National Food Survey estimates are adjusted to align with the Living Costs and Food Survey.  Source: 2001 Family Food Module of the Living Costs and Food Survey; prior to 2001 National Food Survey

Apples

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of apples was produced in the UK in each of the last 10 years; and what quantity was consumed in each such year.

James Paice: The following table shows the quantity of apples produced in the UK from 1999 to 2008. Figures for 2009 have not yet been published.
	
		
			  Apples home production marketed from 1999 to 2008 
			  T housand tonnes( 1) 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Dessert Apples   
			 Cox's Orange Pippin 76.5 48.6 61.0 41.4 34.5 46.6 60.1 64.0 39.2 50.8 
			 Worcester Pearmain 3.6 3.6 2.6 2.5 2.0 2.6 2.6 2.3 1.8 1.9 
			 Discovery 6.5 4.6 3.7 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.9 3.0 2.9 2.8 
			 Early Season 2.9 1.2 1.3 1.0 0.9 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.2 2.0 
			 Mid Season Desserts 8.4 7.8 7.0 7.1 6.8 7.3 7.8 7.7 7.4 6.7 
			 Late Season Desserts 36.1 35.5 28.9 29.1 22.4 31.7 42.8 50.0 52.7 54.3 
			 Total Dessert Apples 133.9 101.3 104.4 84.0 69.0 92.2 118.0 129.3 106.2 118.4 
			  Culinary Apples   
			 Bramley's Seedling 109.4 105.1 105.4 94.0 73.3 76.6 98.5 109.9 135.3 123.0 
			 Other Culinary 3.0 2.3 1.9 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 
			 Total Culinary Apples 112.4 107.5 107.4 95.3 74.9 78.2 100.1 111.5 136.9 124.5 
			 Total Apples: 246.4 208.7 211.8 179.4 143.9 170.3 218.2 240.8 243.1 243.0 
			 (1) 'Home Production Marketed' means the quantity of apples grown in the UK that made it to market. Any losses during the growing process are not accounted for in the table.  Source:  DEFRA publication: Basic Horticulture Statistics 
		
	
	The following table shows the quantity of apples purchased by UK households from 1999 to 2008. Figures from 2009 have not yet been published. A breakdown estimate of the quantity of apples going into food manufacturing and catering is not available.
	
		
			  Household  purchase of fresh apples 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   1999  2000  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006  2007  2008 
			 Weight (thousand tonnes) 536 575 538 520 516 525 545 548 554 514 
			 g/person/week 174 187 175 172 171 173 179 180 178 162 
			 Tonnes/person/year 0.009 0.010 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.008 
			 Population (thousand) (1)59,139 (1)59,139 59,139 57,990 58,142 58,313 58,473 58,603 59,737 60,816 
			 Thousand tonnes/year 536 575 538 520 516 525 545 548 554 514 
			 (1) Estimated  Note:  The table covers purchases for household supplies by all UK households. National Food Survey estimates are adjusted to align with the Living Costs and Food Survey.  Source:  2001 Family Food Module of the Living Costs and Food Survey; prior to 2001 National Food Survey

Boilers: Biofuels

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish a full emissions profile for the use of B30K fuel in domestic boilers, including all air quality pollutants contained in the air quality strategy.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not hold any information on the emissions profile of the fuel B30K.

Butterflies

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with conservation groups on decreases in the population of butterflies.

Richard Benyon: Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology provide data on populations of butterflies that we published in "UK Biodiversity Indicators in Your Pocket 2010" on 20 May.
	Officials are in regular contact with these organisations to ensure that the indicators of butterfly conservation trends that we publish are accurate and objective.
	Officials from DEFRA and Natural England meet Wildlife and Countryside Link regularly-an umbrella body that brings together voluntary organisations in the UK, including Butterfly Conservation, to protect and enhance wildlife, landscape and the marine environment. Officials met Wildlife and Countryside Link earlier this year to discuss progress with commitments to halt biodiversity loss.

Departmental Official Cars

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in her Department are entitled to the use of (i) a car with a dedicated driver, (ii) a car from the Government car pool and (iii) a taxi ordered through a departmental account.

Richard Benyon: There are no civil servants or special advisers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs entitled to the use of a car with a dedicated driver nor are any entitled to use a car from the ministerial car pool.
	Civil servants and special advisers can use a taxi when this is justified, for instance when no other method of public transport is available or when carrying heavy official papers, baggage or equipment. The Department has an account with the Government Car and Despatch Agency for the provision of such services when required.

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which Ministers in her Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

Richard Benyon: All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), under what budgetary headings the £162 million of savings allocated to her Department will be made.

Richard Benyon: I would refer the right hon. Member to the information contained on the DEFRA website at the following link:
	http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/about/corporate-finances
	I quote an extract in answer to his question:
	"These in-year efficiencies will include the following elements:
	£49 million from Core DEFRA operational efficiencies
	Core DEFRA admin-£12 million (5.5%);
	IT-£17 million;
	Estates-£19 million;
	Shared services, knowledge management, performance-£1 million
	£45 million equating to a 5% in-year cut in budgets of DEFRA's Arm's Length Bodies
	£8 million from reducing funding for Regional Development Agencies
	£7.5 million from a reduction in (un-used) grants to Local Authorities for contaminated land
	£30 million savings in flood management while still maintaining expenditure at record levels
	£23 million from reducing other low value spend:
	£5 million from making better use of EU funding for Catchment Sensitive Farming
	£9 million from the Rural Development Programme for England including from reducing agri-environment capital payments
	£5 million from scaling back IT investment on the Whole Farm Approach
	£4 million reflecting the decreasing prevalence of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies disease in recent years."

Environment: Internet

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans  (a) to maintain the public availability of the datasets stored on the Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside website and  (b) to continue to collect and make publicly available information on environmental schemes and designations in that format; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA and the Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside (MAGIC) project remain committed to maintaining the public availability of the datasets that are currently available through the MAGIC website:
	www.magic.gov.uk
	The website is one of the sites that we plan to close as part of the transformational Government website rationalisation process, but I will ensure that the MAGIC service and datasets continue to be made available to the public.

Flood Control: EU Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the EU Floods Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of flood risk to be implemented in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The EU Floods Directive was transposed into law in England and Wales by the Flood Risk Regulations 2009, which came into force on 10 December 2009. The directive has also been transposed through separate legislation in Scotland and in Northern Ireland.
	The first stage of the directive is now being implemented in England and Wales. The Environment Agency has issued guidance to lead local flood authorities on how to prepare preliminary assessment reports.
	Work is now under way to determine an appropriate method for identifying areas of significant risk, for which flood maps and flood risk management plans will need to be prepared.

Water Supply: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment her Department has made of the levels of perfluorooctane sulphonate remaining in water supply areas of Hertfordshire as a result of the incident at Buncefield in December 2005.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency continues to monitor for the presence of perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), as a consequence of the Buncefield explosion in December 2005. This monitoring showed a peak in concentrations of pollutants indicative of fire fighting foam and petrol during 2006. Since 2006 the concentrations have reduced but the Environment Agency's monitoring still shows these pollutants consistently throughout the chalk aquifer, with higher levels under the site itself.
	The detection of PFOS in the aquifer has not resulted in any impact on drinking water quality. The quality of drinking water in England is regulated by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000. The requirements of these regulations are enforced by the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Although standards are not specified for all chemical compounds in existence, the regulations do require that, in order to be considered "wholesome", drinking water must not contain any substance at a level which would constitute a potential danger to human health.
	The Drinking Water Inspectorate has issued guidance on the levels of PFOS perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that water companies should act on in order to fulfil their statutory obligations to ensure the safety of drinking water. This guidance was based on independent advice from the Health Protection Agency. Weekly monitoring by the water company of treated drinking water supplied to consumers has shown that detections of PFOS are significantly below trigger levels in place to protect public health.

Wildlife: Crime

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will establish  (a) a telephone line and  (b) an email system for reporting of suspicious trade in animals and animal products by internet users;
	(2)  if she will initiate a campaign to raise the level of awareness of internet users of the regulation of trade in animals and animal products; and what steps she is taking to assist internet users to report suspicious trade;
	(3)  if she will bring forward proposals to increase the level of regulation of the internet wildlife trade.

Richard Benyon: Regulations are in place which make it an offence to display or offer for sale the most endangered species via any medium, including the internet. Nevertheless, the UK is working with the international community, and chairs a convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) e-commerce group, to assess the best means of reducing or tackling such offences. As part of this process DEFRA will be considering introducing a code of conduct for internet operators to raise awareness of the legal situation, and in doing so take account of the experiences of other countries in drawing up such a code, including the means and merits of a reporting element.
	Animal Health's wildlife licensing and registration service (WLRS) already has systems in place for the reporting of suspected illegal trade in CITES listed species and their parts and derivatives, including a telephone number and e-mail address. Suspected illegal trade in CITES and non-CITES listed species can also be reported to the police, or in the case of imports and exports to the HM Revenue and Customs confidential hotline (which is shared with the UK Border Agency).

SCOTLAND

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Department and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Department.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has one civil servant who writes speeches for our Ministers. He also carries out other communications work.

Economic Situation: Scotland

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the decision to raise the standard rate of value added tax  (a) before and  (b) since the Budget Statement; and what assessment has been made of the effect of that decision on the Scottish economy.

Michael Moore: I have had numerous discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a variety of subjects of importance to Scotland, both before and since the Budget. The VAT rise is part the Government's credible plan to tackle the largest deficit in peacetime history. Reducing this deficit that the Government inherited will support the recovery, creating the conditions needed for businesses to grow, which will benefit the Scottish economy.

Economic Situation: Scotland

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment  (a) he and  (b) economists in his Department have made of the impact on the cost of living for the poorest people in Scotland of the decision to raise the standard rate of value added tax.

Michael Moore: The decision to raise the standard rate of value added tax was part of a progressive Budget, and part of a credible plan to tackle the largest budget deficit in peacetime, which this Government inherited. The top fifth of families by expenditure will pay nearly nine times more value added tax than the bottom fifth. The Budget commits to keeping everyday essentials such as food and children's clothing free from VAT.

Papal Visit to Scotland

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with  (a) the Roman Catholic Church,  (b) Ministerial colleagues and  (c) the Scottish Executive on the Papal visit to Scotland in 2010.

Michael Moore: The right hon. Lord Patten of Barnes is leading on Government arrangements for the Papal visit. Lord Patten has been appointed as the Prime Minister's personal representative and will oversee the co-ordination of all elements for which the Government have responsibility.

Retail Trade: Scotland

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what meetings he  (a) had before and  (b) has had since the Budget Statement with Scottish retailers on the effect on the retail industry in Scotland of the decision to raise the standard rate of value added tax.

Michael Moore: I am always willing to hear the representations of Scottish retailers, and the Scotland Office has engaged with Scottish retailers on their importance to the economy. In order to protect the economic recovery, the record budget deficit must be tackled, otherwise it could lead to higher interest rates, more business failures and sharper rises in unemployment.

VAT: Scotland

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the decision to raise the standard rate of value added tax on the cost of living for  (a) Scottish families,  (b) pensioners in Scotland and  (c) unemployed people in Scotland.

Michael Moore: The rise in VAT is unavoidable if this Government are to act to address years of debt and unsustainable spending. The Budget confirmed that VAT on everyday essentials such as food and children's clothing will remain zero rated. Overall the Budget is fair and progressive-all sections of society contribute to tackling the deficit, but the richest pay more than the poorest.

VAT: Scotland

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which organisations he has met in Scotland to discuss the effects on Scotland of the decision to increase the standard rate of value added tax.

Michael Moore: I have met with numerous organisations to discuss a variety of issues. The Budget was discussed in a recent HM Treasury and Scotland Office seminar, with participants from Scottish business organisations, financial services, academia and the public sector. The VAT rise is unavoidable if this Government are to act to address years of debt and unsustainable spending. Failure to tackle the largest deficit in peacetime, which this Government inherited, could see higher interest rates and no real recovery.

Video Games

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what correspondence he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on  (a) budgetary matters and  (b) Government support for the computer and video games industry in advance of the Budget.

Michael Moore: There has been no formal exchange of correspondence with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the computer and video games industry but I and my officials had discussions with Treasury counterparts on a range of issues ahead of the Budget.
	I will speak with both the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and representatives from the industry in the near future, to discuss how the cuts to corporation tax to 24%, the rise in the employer national insurance threshold and other measures, announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his emergency Budget, will stimulate further growth and expansion of this sector.

Video Games

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what meetings  (a) he and  (b) officials in his Department had with their Treasury counterparts to discuss (i) the Budget and (ii) support for the computer and video games industry before the Budget Statement of 22 June 2010.

Michael Moore: There was no specific meeting about the computer and video games industry. However, I and my officials held discussions with Treasury counterparts on a range of issues ahead of the Budget.
	I will speak with both the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and representatives from the industry in the near future, in discuss how the cuts to corporation tax to 24%, the rise in the employer national insurance threshold and other measures, announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his emergency Budget, will stimulate further growth and expansion of this sector.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

BP: Gulf of Mexico

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will hold discussions with BP to encourage the provision of training to volunteers to tackle the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Charles Hendry: I am in regular touch with BP about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. I understand the company's partnership with local volunteer agencies provides help with mitigation activities in non-oil contaminated areas. Training is provided for all volunteers.
	All oil-contaminated materials will be handled only by Qualified Community Responders and not by volunteers. This is paid work for which training is provided by BP.
	More information can be found on the company's website:
	http://www.alabamagulfresponse.com/go/doc/3055/591911

Departmental Lighting

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on light bulbs in each year since 1997.

Gregory Barker: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his  (a) Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on logo design in each year since its inception.

Gregory Barker: The Department spent £75,875 on logo design in 2008-09, £3,200 in 2009-10 and £0 in the current financial year. The Department does not store information on design costs incurred by its non-departmental public bodies and the cost of collating this would be disproportionate.

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which Ministers in his Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

Gregory Barker: All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code

Departmental Training

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on employee awaydays in each year since its inception.

Gregory Barker: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Energy: Subsidies

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on subsidies for gas production in each year since 1997.

Charles Hendry: No subsidies are paid for gas production in the UK.

Wind Power: Yorkshire and the Humber

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many wind farms have been built in each constituency in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The Government do not hold information on renewable energy schemes by parliamentary constituency. The number of onshore wind farms, not including sites with less than two turbines, and not including sites with turbines under 10 kW, built in each district in Yorkshire and Humber in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  District  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Calderdale 1 - - - - 
			 City of Leeds - - - - - 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire - - - 2 1 
			 Harrogate - - - 1 - 
			 Kirklees - 1 - - 1 
			 North Lincolnshire - - - - 1 
			 Rotherham - - - - 1 
		
	
	The Government are committed to the development of wind energy in the UK. As an island nation we have outstanding wind resources and wind energy is an indigenous source of energy which is needed to meet our renewable energy and climate change goals. The wind industry can be a key player in creating the investment, exports and jobs we need to bring back economic prosperity, and the UK is already a world leader in offshore wind.
	We also want communities and individuals to benefit from the increase in renewable energy, including wind power, and to own a stake in our collective low carbon future.
	This is why we committed in the coalition programme for government to encouraging more community-owned renewable energy and allowing communities that host renewable energy projects to keep the additional business rates they generate.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Attorney-General which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in the Law Officers' Departments and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in those Departments.

Edward Garnier: None of the Law Officers' Departments employ a specialised speech-writer. Speeches when required are prepared by departmental staff in addition to their other duties.
	The Attorney-General's Office does not employ any special advisers.

PRIME MINISTER

Official Residences

Pete Wishart: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what  (a) refurbishment and  (b) redecoration has been undertaken of residential properties in the gift of the Government since 6 May 2010; and at what cost;
	(2)  what residential properties in the gift of the Government have been allocated to Ministers; which Minister has been allocated each accommodation; and which grace and favour properties will remain empty.

David Cameron: I currently have the use of the flat above No. 10 Downing street but will be moving into the residence above No. 11 Downing street when it has been refurbished. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will have use of the flat above No. 10 Downing street from the summer. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been allocated the use of the residence at No. 1 Carlton Gardens. The flats at Admiralty House are currently unoccupied.
	For costs for the refurbishment of the No. 11 Downing street flat I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by the official spokesman on 24 May 2010. A copy of the transcript is available on the Number 10 website at:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/press-briefings/2010/05/morning-press-briefing-from-monday-24-may-2010-50550
	No refurbishment or redecoration has taken place in the flat above No. 10 Downing street or the flats at Admiralty House. Costs associated with 1 Carlton Gardens are a matter for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Representation of Welsh interests

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Wales on representation of Welsh interests on the  (a) Social Justice Committee,  (b) Economic Affairs Committee,  (c) Coalition Committee,  (d) European Affairs Committee and  (e) National Security Council; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Wales about issues which affect the people of Wales.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will visit creative and digital industries in Brighton to discuss the development of those industries; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: I will be visiting Brighton next week to attend the Develop Conference, which brings together the European video game developer community.
	Video games are one of our most successful creative industries and I look forward to hearing about the latest developments in this sector.
	I understand that many of Brighton's leading video game developers will be attending, and I hope to be able to meet some of them.

Camelot Group

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will undertake an assessment of potential effects on levels of gambling of Camelot offering bill payment services through national lottery terminals.

John Penrose: The decision on whether to allow Camelot, the national lottery operator, to undertake any ancillary activity, including offering bill payment and mobile telephone top-up facilities through national lottery terminals, is one for the National Lottery Commission (NLC).
	The NLC is currently considering responses to its public consultation on the proposal from Camelot to offer commercial services. As part of its considerations, the NLC will take into account the potential effect on players.

Camelot Group

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will require the National Lottery Commission to report to Parliament on the reasons for its decision on whether or not to allow Camelot to enter into the bill payment market when that decision is made.

John Penrose: The National Lottery Commission will publish a statement of reasons alongside its decision which will explain the reasons behind its decision. This document will be made available on the Commission's website:
	www.natlotcomm.gov.uk

Camelot Group

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will estimate the number of lottery transactions required to be made to meet the projections in Camelot's proposal to contribute to good causes from lottery receipts; and if he will assess the effect of any resultant increase in transactions on the lottery  (a) playing and  (b) bill payment services at peak times.

John Penrose: The projections set out by Camelot in its proposal to offer bill payments and mobile top-ups do not include any uplift in national lottery sales. The higher contributions to good causes projected are based only on the expected bill payment and mobile top-up transactions.
	The National Lottery Commission is considering as part of its assessment of Camelot's proposals to enter the bill payment and mobile top-up market, what the potential impact is on the core business of the national lottery. If the Commission were to give consent to Camelot's proposals, it would ensure that appropriate monitoring measures are in place to assess the effect of commercial services on ticket sales.

Camelot Group

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has been informed of whether Camelot and Post Office Ltd have made an agreement to provide subsidy for sub-postmasters should Camelot be successful in its application to enter into the bill payment and post office services market; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: The Department is not aware of any such plans.

Camelot Group

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has commissioned or evaluated research into which socio-economic groups are more likely to make bill payments and top-up mobile telephones using electronic bill payment services in local retail outlets.

John Penrose: The Department has made no such assessment. The National Lottery Commission is responsible for assessing the proposals from the National Lottery operator to offer services of this type.

Copyright: Music

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on extending the copyright term for music recordings; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Baroness Wilcox, the Minister with responsibility for Intellectual Property in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and I have both received representations from the music industry (UK Music, BPI and PPL) on a number of occasions recently about progress in securing an agreement in Europe on this issue.
	The Government have confirmed their support for this proposal, but it has not so far received the necessary support at EU level which would be required for it to become law.

Film: Finance

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2010,  Official Report, column 15W, on the British Film Institute: UK Film Council, when he expects to announce the outcome of his reassessment of Government support for film.

Edward Vaizey: I intend to announce details of the review soon.

Departmental Offices

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

John Penrose: There are currently no plans to relocate this Department's officials to Bassetlaw.

Olympic Games 2012: Construction

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the estimated gross construction cost is of  (a) the 11 apartment blocks in the Olympic Village and  (b) the Olympic Village.

Hugh Robertson: The gross cost for construction of the residential blocks of the Olympic village is currently estimated at £1.008 billion as at 31 March 2010, including ground-floor retail units, underground parking, landscaping, games-time overlay (such as additional partitions and bathrooms) and post-games transformation costs.
	The gross construction cost of the entire Olympic village is currently estimated at £1.090 billion, including the community projects of the Chobham Academy, a polyclinic and multi-storey car park.
	The forecast public sector funding contribution by the ODA towards the overall cost of the village (including sales and marketing costs which are not included in the figures above) is £687 million, as set out in the most recent quarterly economic report published in May 2010.

Olympic Games 2012: Dartford

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many businesses located in Dartford constituency have been awarded contracts for work on London 2012 Olympics projects.

Hugh Robertson: Information on businesses, registered in the Dartford constituency that have directly supplied the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is available in the business section of the London 2012 website under the heading ODA Suppliers, where my hon. Friend will be able to find suppliers listed by venue and sector:
	www.london2012.com/business

Olympic Games 2012: East Midlands

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the net financial effect on the east midlands of the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: I have not made a specific estimate of the net financial effect from the 2012 games on the east midlands. However, the east midlands stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the 2012 games, through businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and cultural celebrations.
	Information on businesses in the east midlands that have directly supplied the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is available in the business section of the London 2012 website under the heading ODA Suppliers, where my hon. Friend will be able to find suppliers listed by venue and sector:
	www.london2012.com/business

Olympic Games 2012: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many residents of  (a) St Albans and  (b) Hertfordshire are employed (i) by the London Organisational Committee of the Olympic Games, (ii) by the Olympic Delivery Authority and (iii) at the London 2012 Olympics site; what steps his Department is taking to increase employment opportunities created by the hosting of the London 2012 Olympics; and how many jobs in Hertfordshire he expects to be created by the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd (LOCOG) is a private company and so does not report its staff figures to my Department. Its annual report, which includes information about the numbers of staff it employs, is available at:
	www.london2012.com
	As at May 2010 the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) had 218 directly employed members of staff, of which one resided in St Albans and five in Hertfordshire.
	The ODA publishes information on the Olympic park contractor work force in its quarterly "Jobs, Futures, Skills" newsletter. This provides a breakdown of the work force resident in the host boroughs, London, and outside of London. The latest publication shows that at the end of March 2010 of a work force of 6,442, 41% reside outside of London. It is unable to provide a breakdown for local level outside of the host boroughs.
	The ODA forecasts that 30,000 people will work on the Olympic park and village over the life of the construction programme. LOCOG estimates that during games-time it will require a work force of approximately 6,000 paid staff, up to 70,000 volunteers and 100,000 contracted staff. There has been no specific assessment of the numbers that will be employed from Hertfordshire.
	The ODA and its partners have put a range of measures in place to help local people in particular access training and employment opportunities on the site. These include investing in training and apprenticeship opportunities. Vacancies are offered exclusively to the host borough employment brokerages and Jobcentre Plus offices in the area for a period of 48 hours. Vacancies unfilled after this time are advertised across London for a further 24 hours and after this are made available across the UK through the national Jobcentre Plus network. LOCOG will publish its employment and skills strategy later this year.

TRANSPORT

A3

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projection he has made of the traffic levels on the A3 between Liphook and Petersfield following the opening of the Hindhead tunnel; and what those traffic levels were on that stretch of road in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: It is forecast that traffic levels on the A3 between Liphook and Petersfield following the opening of the Hindhead tunnel will be around 38,000 vehicles per average day.
	By comparison the flow on the A3 in the five years between 2004 and 2009 remained consistent at 35,000 vehicles per average day.
	The A3 Hindhead scheme, including a 1.2 mile tunnel under the Devils Punchbowl Site of Special Scientific Interest, started construction in January 2007 and is planned to open in early July 2011.
	The section of A3 for which traffic flows have been requested lies to the south of the scheme.
	The increase in traffic on scheme opening is largely due to drivers returning to the A3 from other routes used to avoid the congestion at the A3/A287 traffic lights in Hindhead.
	The forecast includes a relatively small amount of traffic generated as a result of the journey time improvement and reliability delivered by the scheme. This aspect of the increase is small, due to network constraints through Guildford and at M25 J10.

Departmental Offices

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Norman Baker: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Official Cars

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what conditions apply to former Ministers with official cars using them to attend party political events;
	(2)  what the cost has been of providing official Government cars to former Ministers since the general election.

Michael Penning: The use of official cars by former Ministers is exceptional and on the advice of the security authorities. Use of official cars by former Ministers continues to be governed by the principles set out in Section 10 of the Ministerial Code.
	In line with successive Administrations, the Government do not comment on security issues.

Freight: Carbon Emissions

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect on levels of carbon dioxide emissions consequent on the transfer of a kilometre tonne of freight from road to rail transport.

Michael Penning: In April 2009 the Department for Transport published its mode shift benefit values, which came into effect on 1 April 2010 and will apply until 31 March 2015. These are designed to accurately reflect the costs to society of HGVs on the roads and the economic and environmental benefits-including carbon dioxide reductions-to be gained from shifting freight from road to rail or water.

Large Goods Vehicles: A1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the merits of prohibiting heavy goods vehicles from travelling in the outside lane on the stretches of the A1 where the road is a dual carriageway.

Michael Penning: holding answer 6 July 2010
	The Highways Agency does consider and, following successful trials, has implemented restrictions on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) using the overtaking lanes on motorways and trunk roads to ease congestion. Examples of this are on the M42 between J10 and 11, and the A14 in Northamptonshire.
	Similarly, in May 2010 the Highways Agency made permanent restrictions on two sections on the A1(M) southbound in County Durham at junction 63 to north of junction 62 at Lumley Road Bridge, Great Lumley and at junction 61 north of Coxhoe to north of junction 60 at Bishop Middleham. At these sections HGVs are restricted from using lane 2 (the right hand lane in the direction of travel) between 7.00 am and 7.00 pm, seven days a week.
	The agency has also considered introducing overtaking restrictions for HGVs on other sections of the A1, including A1 south of the A57 at Markham Moor; A1 south of Grantham; A1 south of Stamford (between the A6121 and Carpenter's Lodge Roundabout); A1 junction 49 (junction of A1/A168) to start of A1(M) at junction 56; end of A1(M) at junction 65 to A1/A697 junction; B6345 overbridge at Felton, Northumberland to approximately one mile north of B1340 overbridge at Denwick, Northumberland; and the dual carriageway section near North Charlton, Northumberland. However, analysis has shown there to be either insufficient justification or an adverse impact on safety for traffic emerging from side roads at these locations, thus discounting the introduction of HGV overtaking restrictions.
	When considering whether to prohibit heavy goods vehicles from lane 2 on the A1 dual carriageway the Highways Agency considers whether:
	there is insufficient HGV traffic volume;
	there are frequent at-grade junctions that break the flow of HGVs naturally;
	the topography of the area is fairly flat;
	the gradient is only for short lengths.

Motorways: Closures

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to inform motorists who are not in the immediate vicinity of motorway closures that closures are taking place; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: holding answer 22 June 2010
	The Highways Agency already takes a variety of steps to inform motorists about both closures and other events that might have an impact on their journey on the motorway and trunk road network.
	For drivers who have already embarked on their journey, variable message signs (VMS) are used to inform them of any problems ahead. These can be used both in the immediate vicinity of the closure, to give drivers useful advice and information, and at a more strategic level, to suggest alternative routes that will take road users around the closure, and thus prevent excessive delays.
	Where closures are planned as part of major works, advanced warning signs are used at the roadside to inform drivers, giving them the opportunity to plan their travel more effectively.
	In addition to VMS, information relating to road conditions on the Highways Agency's network can be sought through a variety of media channels prior to starting any journey. Such channels include the Traffic England website, accessible at:
	www.highways.gov.uk/traffic
	a Highways Agency iPhone app, Traffic Radio (available on DAB) and various telephone lines. Finally, the Highways Agency's National Traffic Control Centre passes information on a continuous basis to media partners who use this in travel bulletins on TV and radio.

Railways: Scotland

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on funding from his Department's Railways for All Fund for improvements in access to railway stations in Scotland; and how much funding for such improvements will be provided in 2010-11.

Theresa Villiers: We have not discussed Railways for All funding with Scottish Executive Ministers, but officials meet regularly to discuss the programme. £390,000 has been allocated to Transport Scotland from the Department for Transport's Access for All Fund for Small Schemes in 2010-11. A decision on any further spending will be made once the comprehensive spending review has been carried out.
	In addition, 13 stations in Scotland are receiving accessible step free routes under the main Access for All Fund which is delivered by Network Rail and funded by addition to the Regulatory Asset Base.

Railways: Standards

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the figures for  (a) punctuality and reliability and  (b) passengers in excess numbers were for rail services on the St Albans to London route in each month since November 2009.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold disaggregated performance data for St Albans to London. However the following table shows the public performance measure (PPM) for all First Capital Connect services since November 2009. The Period PPM column shows performance in the period itself, while the PPM MAA column shows the moving annual average for the previous 12 months. PPM combines figures for punctuality and reliability into a single performance measure.
	
		
			  % 
			  Period  Period PPM  PPM MAA 
			 15 November to 12 December 2009 85.8 90.7 
			 13 December to 9 January 2010 73.0 89.5 
			 10 January to 6 February 2010 85.0 88.9 
			 7 February to 6 March 2010 88.4 89.5 
			 7 March to 31 March 2010 92.6 89.4 
			 1 April to 1 May 2010 93.0 89.5 
			 2 May to 29 May 2010 93.7 89.6 
			 30 May to 26 June 2010 90.4 89.3 
		
	
	Information relating to passengers in excess numbers for rail services on the St Albans to London route is not measured on the basis sought and is therefore not available. The information requested is currently published annually in aggregated form by the Office of Rail Regulation within its 'National Rail Trends Yearbook'. The latest published data relates to passenger journeys in 2008-09. Chapter 7 of the latest update of 'National Rail Trends' contains this data and is available on the Office of Rail Regulation website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2026

Roads: Accidents

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents have occurred in each police force area in the East of England since 1997.

Michael Penning: The number of reported personal injury road accidents in each police force area in the east of England Government office region since 1997 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Reported personal injury accidents in the east of England Government office region by police force area: 1997  to  2009 
			   Police force area  
			   Metropolitan police( 1)
			   County of Essex  County of Hertfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Norfolk  Suffolk  Bedfordshire  Hertfordshire( 1)  Essex( 1)  All police forces 
			 1997 447 741 3,492 2,703 2,224 2,198 4,097 6,439 22,341 
			 1998 386 727 3,411 2,778 2,251 2,168 4,132 6,435 22,288 
			 1999 388 722 3,161 2,769 2,298 2,000 3,995 6,455 21,788 
			 2000 0 208 3,486 2,645 2,312 2,035 4,704 6,985 22,375 
			 2001 0 0 3,503 2,789 2,356 1,983 4,518 6,773 21,922 
			 2002 0 0 3,417 2,590 2,300 1,826 4,521 6,408 21,062 
			 2003 0 0 3,408 2,618 2,341 1,639 4,247 6,182 20,435 
			 2004 0 0 3,450 2,707 2,220 1,659 4,231 6,131 20,398 
			 2005 0 0 3,384 2,653 2,237 1,700 3,954 5,595 19,523 
			 2006 0 0 3,112 2,354 2,087 1,680 3,647 5,330 18,210 
			 2007 0 0 2,888 2,411 2,076 1,740 3,587 5,004 17,706 
			 2008 0 0 2,783 2,074 2,061 1,678 3,098 4,455 16,149 
			 2009 0 0 2,668 1,962 1,947 1,574 2,791 4,232 15,174 
			 (1) Until 2000 Metropolitan police patrolled some parts of Hertfordshire and Essex. From 2000 onwards these areas were patrolled by Hertfordshire and Essex police respectively.

Roads: Accidents

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were injured in work-related road traffic accidents in each year from 1997 to 2009.

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were killed in work-related road traffic incidents in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Michael Penning: The following table shows the number of vehicle drivers/riders and pedestrians killed and injured in reported road accidents while travelling for work or involved in 'on the road work' in each year since 2005. It also shows the total number of casualties in road accidents involving a driver or rider travelling as part of work or a pedestrian injured in the course of 'on the road' work.
	
		
			  Reported vehicle drivers/riders and pedestrians injured at work, and all casualties in such accidents: GB 2005 -09 
			  Casualties 
			   Year of accident 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			  Driver or rider travelling as part of work  
			 Killed 168 152 158 132 95 
			 Injured 20,843 22,617 22,107 19,969 18,296 
			 Total 21,011 22,769 22,265 20,101 18,391 
			   
			  Pedestrian injured at work  
			 Killed 16 11 10 5 7 
			 Injured 656 507 550 505 428 
			 Total 672 518 560 510 435 
			   
			  All casualties in accidents involving a driver or rider travelling as part of work or a pedestrian injured at work( 1)  
			 Killed 866 862 892 750 595 
			 Injured 63,046 66,857 65,201 60,056 55,788 
			 Total 63,912 67,719 66,093 60,806 56,383 
			 (1 )Includes drivers, riders and pedestrians at work as well as other casualties in accidents involving them.  Notes: 1. This information has only been collected since 2005. 2. Pedestrians injured in the course of 'on the road work' include workers involved in traffic control, postal work and other delivery services as well as those working on road maintenance, although this will only have been reported if it was immediately apparent to the reporting police officer.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Allowances

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent under the Communications Allowance in 2009-10.

David Heath: The provisional outturn figure for 2009-10 was £3,959,000. Communications Allowance was suspended by the Members' Estimate Committee with effect from 1 January 2010.
	The Expenses Scheme for hon. Members is now the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

HEALTH

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the average cost of issuing a bowel cancer screening test;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the average cost of issuing and analysing a returned bowel cancer screening test in England;
	(3)  how many people were diagnosed with bowel cancer as a direct result of taking part in the bowel cancer screening programme in each year since the implementation of that programme;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the bowel cancer screening programme in each year since 2006;
	(5)  how many bowel cancer screening invitations were issued in each year since 2006;
	(6)  what criteria were used to determine the age of 60 as the threshold for the bowel cancer screening programme in England.

Paul Burstow: The national health service bowel cancer screening programme in England began by inviting people aged 60 to 69 to be screened because over 80% of bowel cancers are diagnosed in those aged over 60. Although the pilot on which the programme was based invited people aged 50 to 69, those in their 60s were more likely to complete a testing kit. There was also insufficient endoscopy capacity at the time to invite a wider age range. This decision was informed by a formal options appraisal undertaken in 2004 by the School for Health and Related Research (ScHARR) at the University of Sheffield. The programme is currently being extended to people aged 70 to their 75th birthday, and the review of the Cancer Reform Strategy will consider how best we can extend screening to people in their 50s.
	The number of screening invitations issued in each year since 2006 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Invites issued 
			 2006 54,768 
			 2007 740,009 
			 2008 1,970,511 
			 2009 2,467,821 
			 2010 (up to April) 757,901 
		
	
	The number of cancers detected by the programme in each year since 2006 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Cancers detected 
			 2006 41 
			 2007 562 
			 2008 1,600 
			 2009 2,216 
			 2010 (up to April) 587 
		
	
	The cost of the programme in each year since 2006 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Funding (£ million) 
			 2006-07 10 
			 2007-08 27.5 
			 2008-09 55 
			 2009-10 76 
		
	
	Funding for the programme will rise to around £120 million per year once the age extension to people aged 70 to their 75th birthday is fully implemented.
	The average cost of issuing and analysing a bowel cancer testing kit is a local operational cost, which is not held centrally. The ScHARR 2004 options appraisal estimated that the cost of a faecal occult blood testing kit was £10 per person invited, comprising the cost of two kits (to cover repeat tests and non-compliance), analysis of the kits and sending results letters. An additional £1.74 per person invited was estimated for administration costs.

Carers: Young People

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of carers under the age of 18  (a) nationally,  (b) in Devon and  (c) in Totnes constituency.

Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no national data collected as to the number of young carers identified at local authority or constituency level.
	The 2001 Census "snap-shot" indicated that 139,000 children and young people across England were offering some care. Of these, some 22,000 (16%) were reported to be caring for substantial periods of time-between 20 and 50 hours or more per week. These figures are likely to represent an under-estimate as caring roles resulting from parental substance misuse are not included.
	The 2011 Census will provide more up to date national and local authority level data on the number of young carers.

Carers: Young People

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the number of people under the age of 18 years who provided care for a parent with an alcohol-related condition in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no centrally collected national data as to the number of people under the age of 18 years providing care for a parent with an alcohol-related condition.
	The 2001 Census day "snap-shot" indicated that some 139,000 children across England were offering some care to family, neighbours, or friends. Of these, some 22,000 (16%) were reported to be caring for substantial periods of time-between 20 and 50 hours or more per week. These figures are likely to represent an under-estimate as caring roles resulting from parental substance misuse are not included.
	The National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, 2004, found that up to 1.3 million children live with parents who misuse alcohol.

CJD

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of  (a) variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and  (b) sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were diagnosed in humans in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were as a result of blood transfusions.

Anne Milton: Data on diagnosis are not held centrally for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). For variant CJD (vCJD) the number of diagnoses in each year was as follows:
	2005: six cases;
	2006: six cases;
	2007: one case;
	2008: one case; and
	2009: three cases.
	Of these cases, two cases diagnosed in 2006 were associated with blood transfusions in 1999 or earlier from donors who later went on to develop clinical vCJD.
	Data on deaths supplied by the National CJD Surveillance Unit are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Deaths from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob  disease (vCJD) in the UK 2005-09 
			  Year of death  sCJD  sCJD-blood transfusion associated  vCJD  vCJD-blood transfusion associated 
			 2005 66 0 5 0 
			 2006 69 0 4 1 
			 2007 63 0 4 1 
			 2008 87 0 1 0 
			 2009 78 0 3 0

CJD

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) undertaken on the incidence of (i) sporadic and (ii) variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and the possibility of a link in cases of individuals with different genotypes.

Anne Milton: Together with the Scottish Government, the Department funds Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) surveillance in the United Kingdom through the National CJD Surveillance Unit (NCJDSU) based in Edinburgh. The unit was set up in 1990.
	All cases of definite or probable variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), where the genotype is known, have been methionine homozygous at codon 129 of the  PRNP gene. As reported in the NCJDSU's 17th annual report in 2008 the unit was referred an individual who met the clinical criteria in life for possible vCJD and who was heterozygous (methionine/valine) at codon 129 of the  PRNP gene. As consent for a post-mortem was not given in this case, the investigations which could have led to a definite or probable diagnosis could not take place.

CJD: Screening

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the consequences of Amorfix's decision to suspend development of its proposed blood test for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) after the latest versions of the test did not yield positive results; and if his Department will recognise that prion filtration is the only safe and effective method for protecting red blood cells from vCJD contamination.

Anne Milton: The Department recognises the difficulties in developing an effective blood test for the abnormal prion protein associated with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The Department is aware of other companies, other than Amorfix, and academic institutions developing tests and will monitor progress.
	The recommendation of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissue and Organs (SaBTO) on the use of prion filtration remain under consideration by the Department, the clinical safety of prion filtered blood is still being assessed, and further studies of the efficacy of prion filters are in progress.
	Since the theoretical risk of vCJD transmission through blood was first identified as a possibility in 1996, a series of precautionary measures to reduce the risk of vCJD transmission through the blood supply and products made by fractionating plasma, including:
	From December 1997, blood components, plasma products or tissues obtained from any individual who later develops vCJD, have been withdrawn/recalled to prevent their use;
	From October 1999, white blood cells (which may carry a risk of transmitting vCJD) have been reduced in all blood used for transfusion, a process known as leucodepletion or leucoreduction;
	Following the report of the first possible case of transmission of vCJD by blood transfusion in December 2003, individuals who had themselves received a transfusion of blood components since January 1980 were excluded from donating blood. This took effect from April 2004; and
	In July 2004, this exclusion criterion for blood donation was extended to include two new groups; (i) previously transfused platelet donors and (ii) donors who were unsure if they had previously had a blood transfusion. This now applies to donors who have been transfused anywhere in the world.

Clinical Physiologists: Regulation

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of the Modernising Scientific Careers programme on the timetable for statutory regulation of clinical physiologists.

Anne Milton: Ministers are currently considering decisions about whether, and if so how, to regulate healthcare scientists, including clinical physiologists, within the context of the coalition Government's wider health strategy.

Departmental Consultants

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is of  (a) his Department and  (b) the NHS for external consultancy advice in 2010-11.

Simon Burns: Planned consultancy expenditure from the Department's administration budgets in 2010-11 is £1.8 million.
	The Department's plans on programme spend for consultancy have not yet been determined but plans will be in line with the tighter spending controls announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 24 May.
	The Department does not hold NHS budget information on external consultancy advice for 2010-11.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on televisions in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The information on the cost of televisions purchased is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on website design in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The Department operates two main websites:
	The Department of Health corporate website; and
	NHS Choices
	Design and layout costs are included within the overall costs of each website's managed service and cannot be separated for each year.
	In February 2010 an additional £40,425 was spent on redesigning the home page of the Department's corporate website, in response to user testing and feedback.
	Since 27 June 2007 the Department has reduced the total number of websites that it operates, from 196 to 71, to meet its obligations under Transformational Government. The Department will continue to reduce this number by the Cabinet Office deadline of July 2011.
	Given the high number of websites that have been in existence since 1997, it is not possible to provide information on design costs for all of these, as this would incur disproportionate costs.
	Design costs for websites belonging to agencies and non-department public bodies are also included within the overall costs of each organisation's managed service and cannot be separated for each year.

Departmental Offices

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Simon Burns: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the mileage travelled by each Minister in his Department in a Government car in  (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Simon Burns: This information is not recorded by the Department.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether equality impact assessments will be used in determining the areas of his Department's budget in respect of which spending will be reduced.

Simon Burns: The Department will ensure the relevant equality considerations are taken into account when assessing policy options in the context of its departmental savings, in compliance with our obligations under the gender, race and disability duties set out in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Department and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Department.

Simon Burns: The Department currently employs a team of four civil servants to write speeches for Ministers. None of these officials is a senior civil servant.

General Practitioners

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of occasions in which patients saw a GP other than their registered GP in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information on the number of occasions in which patients see a general practitioner (GP) in another practice rather than their registered GP.

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of GP practices which use 0870 and 0845 premium rate telephone numbers for booking appointments.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health Professions: English Language

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidance on the level of competence in the English language expected from medical professionals, with particular reference to those responsible for delivering out-of-hours care.

Anne Milton: The Government are committed to ensuring that foreign healthcare professionals are not allowed to work in the national health service unless they have proven their competence and language skills. We are working closely with the General Medical Council and others to explore a number of options to ensure that all overseas doctors meet these stringent requirements.
	The Department of Health issued guidance in February 2010 under "Delivering Quality in Primary Care: Medical Performers Lists"-a copy has been placed in the Library-which reminded primary care trusts that anyone they appoint to their medical performers list must be competent in English. Clearly, the precise requirements for individual posts will vary. We will be considering whether further guidance on this issue is necessary.

Health Services: Greater Manchester

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the results of the review of the Greater Manchester Making it Better Programme.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for the local national health service and as such the information requested is not held centrally. Information on the cost of the Making it Better programme can be obtained from the Making it Better implementation team direct, through the North West Strategic Health Authority.

Health: Tobacco

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the evidence on the impact of banning the retail display of tobacco products; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Discussions are taking place across Government to decide how best to tackle this issue in the context of our focus on public health and our priorities, given the challenges facing business competition and costs.

Leeds General Infirmary

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with NHS organisations on the Cardiothoracic Surgery Centre at Leeds General Infirmary; what plans his Department has for the future of that centre; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: We have had no formal discussions with national health service organisations on the Cardiothoracic Surgery Centre at Leeds General Infirmary. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health visited the Leeds General Infirmary on 14 May 2010, and was given a tour of the hospital's cardiology services. This Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not driven from the top down. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has outlined new, strengthened criteria that he expects decisions on NHS service changes to meet. According to this criteria, they must focus on improving patient outcomes, consider patient choice, have support from general practitioner commissioners and be based on sound clinical evidence.

Mental Health Services: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of child and adolescent mental health services for children who require emergency mental health assessment and support;
	(2)  how he plans to ensure that tier 4 child and adolescent mental health services appropriate for children with autism are available to all children who require them.

Paul Burstow: The Department monitors the availability of 24 hour cover to meet the urgent mental health needs of children and young people through the Vital Signs Monitoring Return. The latest available figures, for the quarter ending 31 March 2010, show 139 primary care trusts (PCTs) with a comprehensive 24 hour cover service available throughout the PCT and 13 PCTs with plans and protocols in place, some services in place and some still to be developed so as to provide cover across the whole PCT. The Department is drawing on findings emerging from early visits of the National Support Team for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to inform local conversations about improving children's emotional health and well-being across the country.
	Appropriate tier 4 CAMHS should be available to all children who require them, including children with autism. We are committed to improving the quality of services to patients. We will establish an independent national health service board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidelines and will ensure that there is a stronger voice for patients locally.

Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure the provision of an appropriate level of healthcare for service veterans, with particular reference to mental health services.

Simon Burns: The Government are committed to providing effective, through-life, health services for our service and ex-service personnel.
	This important work is overseen by a Partnership Board involving senior staff from the Department and the Ministry of Defence and the health departments of the devolved Administrations.
	We are currently undertaking community mental health pilots for ex-service personnel at six national health service trusts across the United Kingdom. The final pilot, in Scotland, is due to be completed in April 2011. From these pilots, best practice will be identified and provide input for planning future provision by the NHS of mental health services across the UK from 2011-12.
	We have also made an additional £2 million available to allow the Department of Health to work with strategic partners, including Combat Stress, to further provide better services in primary, secondary and tertiary care.
	The Prime Minister has asked the hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) to study the relationship between the NHS and armed forces personnel, with a focus on mental health.

NHS: Accountability

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the accountability of local NHS bodies to the public they serve; and whether he plans to improve such arrangements.

Simon Burns: We have assessed the accountability of local national health service bodies to the public they serve and have concluded that arrangements need to be strengthened if we are to ensure the NHS is increasingly informed by and responsive to the views and feedback of patients and public. We plan to set out our proposals for improvement in the forthcoming White Paper.

NHS: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the number of occasions on which information relating to a patient has been requested by a doctor other than the doctor with whom the patient is registered in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: The Department does not collect this information centrally.

NHS: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many summary health care records have been added to his Department's database in each week of 2010.

Simon Burns: The information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  2010 
			  Report week (Saturday to Friday)  Number of summary care records (SCR) created 
			  Start date  End date  
			 2 January 8 January 11,249 
			 9 January 15 January 24,883 
			 16 January 22 January 46,594 
			 23 January 29 January 42,315 
			 30 January 5 February 42,618 
			 6 February 12 February 27,470 
			 13 February 19 February 23,194 
			 20 February 26 February 53,493 
			 27 February 5 March 47,819 
			 6 March 12 March 22,060 
			 13 March 19 March 44,272 
			 20 March 26 March 5,599 
			 27 March 2 April 0 
			 3 April 9 April 1,987 
			 10 April 16 April 48,015 
			 17 April 23 April 52,157 
			 24 April 30 April 31,931 
			 1 May 7 May 6,488 
			 8 May 14 May 12,793 
			 15 May 21 May 11,474 
			 22 May 28 May 63,339 
			 29 May 4 June 66,852 
			 5 June 11 June 57,069 
			 12 June 18 June 97,623 
			 19 June 25 June 96,142 
			 26 June 2 July 101,872 
			  Total 1,039,308 
		
	
	We believe the processes that are currently in place relating to the creation of summary care records need to be reviewed to ensure that both the information that patients receive, and the process by which they opt-out, are as clear and simple as possible.
	We will work closely with relevant partner organisations to resolve these issues. Strategic health authorities have been informed that no further information letters should be sent out to patients about the SCR until after that review has concluded.

NHS: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) GP and  (b) out-of-hours surgeries have registered for the summary health care record scheme.

Simon Burns: As at 2 July 2010, 323 general practitioner practices, and 37 out of hours service sites, were live to use summary care records (SCRs). Being 'live' refers to a health care setting starting to work with the SCR system, by creating and maintaining records for patients under their care, or by viewing a patient's SCR to aid delivery of care.

NHS: Drugs

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future appraisal of drugs for the treatment of ultra orphan diseases.

Simon Burns: In the great majority of cases the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will continue to appraise important new drugs. However, for a small number of drugs for very small patient populations, where it is not appropriate for NICE to carry out an appraisal, it may be more appropriate for a drug to be considered by the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services as part of the arrangements for national specialised commissioning.

NHS: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the KPMG report on the effectiveness of the NHS Choices and NHS Direct websites.

Simon Burns: We are not able to publish the requested report as it is central to the formulation of Government policy. The KPMG report on NHS Choices and NHS Direct is informing the Department's information strategy.

NHS: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what websites have .nhs.uk domains.

Simon Burns: As at 30 June 2010, there were 4,292 live websites with the .nhs.uk suffix within the English national health service web estate. A list of these has been placed in the Library.

NHS: VAT

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much value added tax was paid by the NHS in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The data are not held centrally.

Nurses: Pay

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to retain nurses within the profession in light of the planned two-year public sector pay freeze.

Anne Milton: We will continue to monitor the position of the work force, including nurses, during the period of the pay freeze. We will look closely at the rates of vacant posts, leavers from the national health service and joiners to the NHS. Currently the position is strong, with the latest data showing that the vacancy rate for qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors stands at 0.7% (2,088 posts); the leavers rate at 6.5%; and the joiners rate at 7.5%.

Nurses: Training

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake an investigation of the arrangements for training nurses for the purposes of raising the standard of nursing in NHS hospitals.

Anne Milton: The vast majority of our nurses provide excellent care, although ongoing education and training is vital to keeping standards high.
	The Department has been working with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to develop an explicit set of statements which will outline what good nursing care looks like. This work will be ready in the autumn and will apply to the entire nursing workforce, including health care assistants.
	We are determined to raise professional standards at every opportunity and to work with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the RCN to achieve this.
	The arrangement for the training of nurses is regularly reviewed.

Parkinson's Disease: Drugs

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department has received any representations on the availability of Sinemet in the last  (a) week,  (b) month and  (c) two months; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether his Department has had any recent discussions with Merck on the availability of Sinemet.

Simon Burns: The Department has received representations from hon. Members (including the hon. Member's questions) and members of the public about the availability of Sinemet (co-careldopa) as follows:
	
		
			  Date received  Number 
			  2010  
			 5 May to 4 June 3 
			 5 June to 29 June 3 
			 30 June to 6 July 5

Patients' Rights: EU Action

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to participate in the European Project for Assessing Patients' Rights.

Simon Burns: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Peterborough Primary Care Trust: Debts

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the report by the East of England strategic health authority on the deficit accumulated by NHS Peterborough in the financial year 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department has not commissioned a report on the deficit accumulated by Peterborough primary care trust. However, the East of England strategic health authority does report to the Department on a monthly basis on the financial position of its national health service trusts.

Prescription Drugs

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the number of people in  (a) England and  (b) Gloucestershire who were given regular prescriptions for (i) sleeping tablets and (ii) anti-depressants in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Information on the number of people receiving a medicine, and whether this is under repeat prescription arrangements, is not collected centrally. Information on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community in England and in Gloucestershire primary care trust (PCT) for the latest available financial years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   Hypnotics( 1)  (for insomnia)  Antidepressants( 2) 
			  England   
			 2006-07 9,768.0 31,327.2 
			 2007-08 9,889.9 33,967.5 
			 2008-09 9,977.1 36,180.5 
			 2009-10 10,123.2 39,736.1 
			
			  Gloucestershire PCT   
			 2006-07(3) 136.8 370.9 
			 2007-08 141.3 403.8 
			 2008-09 143.2 433.5 
			 2009-10 148.9 481.9 
			 (1) As listed in British National Formulary section 4.1.1-hypnotics. (2) As listed in British National Formulary section 4.3-antidepressants. (3) Includes predecessor organisations-Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT, West Gloucestershire PCT and Cotswold and Vale PCT.  Source: Prescribing Analysis and Cost tool

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to exempt medication for cystic fibrosis from prescription charges.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to change the current system of prescription charges.

Simon Burns: Any decisions on future changes to the system of prescription charges and exemptions will be dependent on our future financial settlements.

Prion Diseases: Health Services

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he next expects his Department's Prion Working Group to meet to discuss the  (a) progress of the Platelet Receptor Inhibition for Ischemic Syndrome Management trials and  (b) implementation of the P-Capt filter;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of progress of the Platelet Receptor Inhibition for Ischemic Syndrome Management trials and the P-Capt filter; and when he expects those trials to be completed.

Anne Milton: The Prion Working Group reports to the UK Blood Services, not to the Department. The Working Group will next meet on 2 September 2010, and updates on the P-Capt filter and the prion filtered red cells in surgery and multi-transfused patients (PRISM) trial are both likely to be on the agenda. This PRISM trial, which is designed to investigate adverse events, especially those related to the development of antibodies to red blood cells following transfusion of filtered red cells, is unrelated to the Platelet Receptor Inhibition for Ischemic Syndrome Management study otherwise known as PRISM-PLUS.
	The PRISM trial is expected to be completed by mid-2012. Animal studies of the efficacy of filters using a hamster model are due to be complete by mid-2012 and studies in sheep by mid-2014. The UK Health Department's independent expert Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs will review data from these studies as they become available.

Prion Diseases: Health Services

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to implement the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs for the introduction of prion filtration via the P-Capt filter for blood destined for children born since 1 January 1996.

Anne Milton: The recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs on the use of prion filtration are under consideration by the Department.

Warfarin

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will consider the merits of making warfarin treatments available free on the NHS; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people were prescribed warfarin in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of providing warfarin free on the NHS.

Simon Burns: Information on the number of people receiving a medicine is not collected centrally. In 2009, around 8,234,900 prescription items for warfarin were dispensed in the community in England at a net ingredient cost to the national health service of around £18,608,200.(1)
	In addition, prescription charges paid at the point of dispensing for warfarin prescription items generated income of around £923,800(2) in 2009.
	Any decisions on future changes to the system of prescription charges and exemptions will be dependent on our future financial settlements.
	(1) Prescription Cost Analysis system.
	(2) NHS Prescription Services Information System. Excludes items dispensed to patients holding a pre-payment certificate.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in  (a) Glasgow North and  (b) Ealing Central and Acton constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England and Scotland report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Affordable Housing

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in  (a) Slough,  (b) Salisbury and  (c) Scarborough and Whitby constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Affordable Housing Delivery Commission

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his plans are for the future of the commission on affordable housing delivery chaired by Lord Best.

Andrew Stunell: The commission on the council role in new house-building was established jointly by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association. The commission expects to make its report to the Department and the Local Government Association later this year.

Affordable Housing: Ashton-in-Makerfield

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in Makerfield constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Affordable Housing: Bristol

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in Bristol North West constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The number of surplus properties in the social sector is not collected centrally. Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Affordable Housing: Greater Manchester

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in Stretford and Urmston constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Affordable Housing: Houghton-le-Spring

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Affordable Housing: Standards

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2010,  Official Report, column 312W, what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) local authority and  (b) housing association properties in each local authority remaining to be refurbished under the Decent Homes programme on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Grant Shapps: I have put the information requested for local authorities in the Library of the House. The Tenant Services Authority has made projections nationally up to March 2011 but has not done so up to March 2012 at local authority level because such projections would be inaccurate. The Regulatory Statistical Return from housing associations does not collect projections of numbers of non decent homes. These figures would have been lower had funding reductions of £150 million not been made to the Decent Homes programme in July 2009.

Affordable Housing: Worsley

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Council Housing: Construction

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the £2.6 million funding previously agreed for new council homes in the London borough of Tower Hamlets is subject to the Government's review of public spending.

Andrew Stunell: The Homes and Communities Agency entered into a Local Authority New Build Grant Agreement with the London borough of Tower Hamlets in February 2010. It is contractually committed to support delivery of 26 new council homes in Tower Hamlets, and is therefore not subject to the Government's review of public spending.

Council Housing: Construction

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Homes and Communities Agency previously agreed funding for the Bow Cross, Leopold and Holland estates in the London borough of Tower Hamlets is subject to the Government's review of public spending.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are committed to reducing the United Kingdom's budget deficit. It has led us to identify savings across Government, starting with the £6 billion of immediate savings this year that we announced on 24 May. Bow Cross and Leopold are part of the Kickstart projects that were successful at the due diligence process under round 2 of Kickstart and still subject to approval. The Holland Estates is a National Affordable Housing programme project. Bids for this project received in January are still being appraised. A review of these and other outstanding projects will be undertaken by the HCA, once the final funding position for 2010-11 is clear.

Council Housing: Construction

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government plan to bring forward a third round of proposals for funding for new council homes.

Andrew Stunell: We have no plans to continue a funding programme exclusively for the provision of new council houses. Local authorities are however free to bid for support from the National Affordable Housing Programme once all the funds available in the current Local Authority New Build programme have been allocated. The Government are committed to reviewing the unfair Housing Revenue Account, including its implications for council housebuilding.

Departmental Human Resources

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on human resources in each year since 1997.

Bob Neill: Communities and Local Government was formed in 2006 and we do not have access to records about expenditure by its predecessor organisations before this date.
	The following table shows the total budget expenditure by our human resources function in the financial years since 2005-06.
	The administration budget shows the cost of running the HR function. The corporate budget represents expenditure managed by HR on behalf of the wider Department. Corporate non-pay includes the Department's learning and development and occupational health costs.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year   Admin istration  Corporate  Total 
			 2005-06 Total 1,602,602 5,566,700 7,169,303 
			 Pay  1,626,448 1,546,323 3,172,771 
			 Non-pay  126,582 4,020,377 4,146,958 
			 Income  -150,427  -150,427 
			  
			 2006-07 Total 2,378,404 4,225,127 6,603,531 
			 Pay  2,355,863 1,793,183 4,149,046 
			 Non-pay  165,843 2,495,751 2,661,594 
			 Income  -143,302 -63,807 -207,109 
			  
			 2007-08 Total 3,400,389 4,550,372 7,950,762 
			 Pay  3,187,463 1,514,208 4,701,672 
			 Non-pay  473,064 3,077,791 3,550,854 
			 Income  -260,138 -41,627 -301,764 
			  
			 2008-09 Total 3,103,938 6,449,033 9,552,971 
			 Pay  3,176,369 3,175,810 6,352,179 
			 Non-pay  114,862 3,310,906 3,425,768 
			 Income  -187,293 -37,683 -224,976 
			  
			 2009-10 Total 4,111,553 7,159,180 11,270,734 
			 Pay  3,848,760 3,171,692 7,020,452 
			 Non-pay  426,577 3,917,727 4,344,304 
			 Income  -163,784 69,762 -94,023

Departmental NDPBs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the address is of the head office of each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible.

Bob Neill: Head office addresses for each of the Department's bodies can be found in the Communities and Local Government Annual Report 2009, which is located on our website.
	Since this report was published there have been the following changes:
	The addition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission, located at Temple Quay House, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN.
	The addition of National Tenant Voice, located at c/o Government Office North West, 14th Floor, City Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester M1 4BE.

Departmental Offices

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Bob Neill: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), under what budgetary headings the £780 million of savings allocated to his Department will be made.

Grant Shapps: As a result of decisions by the previous Administration, in June 2010 the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast public sector net borrowing in 2010-11 would hit £149 billion-contributing to its forecast £1.3 trillion of public debt by 2014. To help reduce the public debt, the Department for Communities and Local Government will make savings of £780 million in 2010-11, from the following budget lines.
	
		
			  Programmes 2010-11  Description  Savings (£000) 
			  Cutting waste - CLG, Quangos and lower priority programmes  90,421 
			
			 Running costs - CLG Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 26,954 
			 Running costs - Regional Development Agencies Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 17,000 
			
			  Running costs - Quangos   
			 PINS Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 6,000 
			 Thames Gateway - Direct Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets-UDC contingency 500 
			 Thames Gateway - London UDC Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 600 
			 Thames Gateway - Thurrock UDC Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 600 
			 National Tenant Voice Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 79 
			 Building Research Advisory Committee Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 2 
			 National Housing and Planning Advice Unit Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 215 
			 Tenant Services Authority Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 2,835 
			 Homes and Communities Agency Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 8,831 
			 Infrastructure Planning Commission Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 735 
			 West Northants Development Corporation Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 1,000 
			 Community Development Foundation Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 167 
			 Leasehold Advisory Service Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 158 
			 FireBuy Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 137 
			 Residential Property Tribunal Service Efficiency Savings from 2010-11 budgets 1,187 
			
			  Lower priority programmes   
			 Fire - New Dimensions Programme Procurement Saving 5,000 
			 Crosscutting Cohesion and Extremism Projects Unallocated funding 3,100 
			 Thames Gateway Unallocated funding 500 
			 Cohesion and Faith Programme (non LG element) Unallocated funding 3,235 
			 Prevent Programme (non ABG element) Unallocated funding 6,586 
			 Unallocated funding Unallocated funding 5,000 
			
			  Regional Development Agencies  186,000 
			
			 Programme Costs - Regional Development Agencies Savings in line with plans to restructure regional tier 186,000 
			
			  Housing Programmes  150,000 
			
			 National Affordable Housing Programme Funding announced but not yet allocated 100,000 
			 Kickstart Funding announced but not yet allocated 50,000 
			
			  Grants to Local Government  353,587 
			
			  Area Based Grant   
			 Supporting People - Administration Element Funding allocated 30,000 
			 -Working Neighbourhood Fund Funding allocated 45,000 
			 Local Enterprise Growth Initiative Funding allocated 17,500 
			 Prevent Funding allocated 7,000 
			 Cohesion Funding allocated 4,000 
			  Non-Area Based Grant Programmes   
			 Housing Market Renewal Funding allocated 50,000 
			 - Gypsy and Traveller Site Grant Funding announced but not yet allocated 30,000 
			 Housing and Planning Delivery Grant Funding announced but not yet allocated 146,000 
			 - Connecting Communities Funding announced but not yet allocated 19,087 
			 Other Cohesion Funding Funding announced but not yet allocated 5,000 
			
			  Totals Savings  780,008

Departmental Public Expenditure

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on public spending control, which programmes will no longer be funded as a result of the end year flexibility claim from his Department for £220 million.

Grant Shapps: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 July 2010,  Official Report, column 394W, to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey).

Departmental Public Expenditure

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on public spending control, what the breakdown by  (a) budget area and  (b) local authority area is of the £220 million reduction in expenditure to be made from his Department.

Grant Shapps: The Government remain strongly committed to reducing the United Kingdom's budget deficit and the announcement by the Chief Secretary on the 5 July confirmed that the Department has agreed to a £220 million reduction in its claim for End Year Flexibility this year. We have therefore been able to confirm £390 million of End Year Flexibility this year, alongside the £170 million announced on 24 May, for the provision of new social housing and other housing priorities.
	This guarantee of £560 million of funding will enable the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to meet all existing contractual commitments and will be able to progress some of those programmes that have been paused while the funding position was under review. The HCA's regional offices will be assessing which other schemes can be progressed. Moreover, given public sector borrowing in 2010-11 was forecast to hit £167 billion, such levels of spending on "borrowed money" was unsustainable-contributing to the forecast £1.4 trillion of public debt by 2014.

Departmental Sponsorship

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what costs his Department incurred in connection with its sponsorship of the  (a) Environmental Innovation in Waste Collection Achievement of the Year award and  (b) Reducing Health Inequalities Achievement of the Year award at the Municipal Journal Awards 2010 in respect of (i) sponsorship, (ii) publicity and (iii) costs incurred in (A) travel, (B) accommodation and (C) subsistence payments for Ministers, staff and guests of his Department at the awards ceremony.

Bob Neill: The Environmental Innovation in Waste Collection Achievement of the Year award was a commitment of the previous Government and was jointly sponsored with DEFRA. The only charge to the Department was £11,744.13 including VAT which was paid to the Hemming Group Ltd. The Department incurred no travel, accommodation or subsistence for Ministers, staff or guests. The judging of the awards and the criteria used do not reflect the priorities of the new Government.

Departmental Temporary Employment

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many temporary staff are employed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Bob Neill: Communities and Local Government has recently contributed to a cross-Government work force management information collection exercise, details of which can be found at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/news_releases/2010/100618-non-payroll.aspx
	This provides a comprehensive summary of staffing data, including contingent work force information, for the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

East of England Development Agency: Internet

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the East of England Development Agency spent on the www.erebusonline.org.uk website in each year since its establishment; and what estimate he has made of the number of unique visitors received by this website in each such year.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 6 July 2010,  Official Report, column 236W.

Empty Property: Greater London

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many long-term empty dwellings there are in the  (a) Richmond-upon-Thames and  (b) Kingston local authority area.

Bob Neill: As at 5 October 2009, the number of long-term empty domestic dwellings in Richmond upon Thames was 452 and 1,228 in Kingston.
	These data are taken from the council tax base (CTB) form completed annually in the autumn by all billing authorities in England and returned to Communities and Local Government.

Housing

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average annual projected change in the number of households in England between 2006 and 2031 on the basis of  (a) the principal population and  (b) a zero net migration projection.

Andrew Stunell: 2006-based household projections under the principal population projection and the zero net migration population variant are published on the CLG website in Live Table 416 at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/householdestimates/livetables-households/
	The ONS has subsequently produced 2008-based population projections, which include lower projected levels of net international migration. CLG expects to publish 2008-based household projections by the end of this year.

Housing: Asbestos

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of homes in  (a) Penistone and Stockbridge constituency and  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber which contain asbestos.

Andrew Stunell: The information is not available from my Department. The presence of asbestos in the home is one of 29 potential hazards assessed through the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Local authorities are required to provide information each year through their Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix on their assessment of the number of homes with any category 1 rated hazards present in each tenure. However this reporting requirement is not specific to individual hazards. The English Housing Survey also provides national estimates of the presence of 26 of the 29 hazards, but as a non-intrusive survey rather than detailed HHSRS inspection, this does not cover the presence of asbestos.

Housing: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in Bristol East constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The number of surplus properties in the social sector is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Housing: Construction

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes were built in the west midlands in each year from 1980 to 1999.

Andrew Stunell: The following table shows the number of new homes built in the west midlands in each year from 1980-81 to 1999-2000.
	
		
			  House building completions in the west midlands 
			  Financial year  Completions 
			 1980-81 22,220 
			 1981-82 15,910 
			 1982-83 15,420 
			 1983-84 17,800 
			 1984-85 18,950 
			 1985-86 16,130 
			 1986-87 17,400 
			 1987-88 18,660 
			 1988-89 17,820 
			 1989-90 15,050 
			 1990-91 16,700 
			 1991-92 15,610 
			 1992-93 16,260 
			 1993-94 14,800 
			 1994-95 17,220 
			 1995-96 14,790 
			 1996-97 14,280 
			 1997-98 13,390 
			 1998-99 14,250 
			 1999-2000 15,380 
			  Source: New build completions from P2 monthly and quarterly returns submitted by local authorities and the National House-Building Council to CLG.

Housing: Construction

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects the results of the regional review of funding for round two Kickstart projects to be published;
	(2)  what factors he plans to take into account in determining the outcome of the regional review of funding for round two Kickstart projects;
	(3)  whether he has made provision for public consultation under the regional review of funding for round two Kickstart projects.

Grant Shapps: The regional review of funding will build on the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) original assessment with the aim to maximise affordable housing and achieve best value for money, alongside local priorities and within the funding available. No public consultation will be undertaken during the regional review of funding for these projects. All individual schemes would have been through community consultation during the planning process. When originally approving these projects, HCA staff worked with the relevant local authorities to ensure that the schemes complemented local priorities. The objective is to give interested parties clarity as quickly as possible.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) Kickstart and  (b) local authority new build projects which were placed on hold by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) in their statement of 25 May 2010 have now reached legal completion and will be funded following the HCA's statement of 6 July 2010.

Grant Shapps: The Homes and Communities Agency's regional teams are currently undertaking evaluation of all projects funding that had been put on hold under Kickstart round two and local authority new build. Determination will be based on available resources with the aim to maximise affordable housing and achieve best value for money alongside local priorities, with completion of reviews as soon as possible.

Housing: Regeneration

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how he plans to allocate the reduction to the 2010-11 Housing Market Renewal budget among the 11 pathfinder projects.

Grant Shapps: A letter to HMR Pathfinder Chairs, dated 10 June 2010, set out the Government's proposed approach to the allocation of the 2010-11 HMR budget. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Local Government: Publicity

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to prevent local authorities from publishing their own newspapers.

Bob Neill: We intend to implement the commitment in "The Coalition: our programme for government" to impose tougher rules to stop unfair competition by local authority newspapers by revising the statutory Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity. Before making such revisions, statute requires us to consult representatives of local government and any local authority with whom consultation appears desirable, which we intend to do as soon as practicable.

Mayors

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future  (a) number and  (b) powers of elected mayors.

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce the date on which each planned city referendum on elected mayors is to take place.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Chris Leslie) on 9 June 2010,  Official Report, column 174W.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of people who have received support from the Mortgage Help website and telephone advice line in the last  (a) three,  (b) six and  (c) 12 months.

Grant Shapps: From the launch of the website on 7 September 2009 to 8 July 2010 there were 164,657 absolute unique visitors to:
	http://mortgagehelp.direct.gov.uk
	In the last six months, there were 89,435 visitors and in the last three months, 12,315 visitors.
	Households are also able to access advice from a range of telephone advice line services promoted on the MortgageHelp website, including National Debtline, the Consumer Credit Counselling Service and Shelter.

National Policy Statements

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what national policy statements are under development by his Department.

Bob Neill: My Department holds policy responsibility for planning and is therefore co-ordinating the Government's work on National Policy Statements but the sectors covered by national policy statements fall in other departmental areas of responsibility. The Department for Transport, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are responsible for developing national policy statements for their major infrastructure sectors.

Non-domestic Rates

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the merits of reviewing the thresholds for small business rate relief.

Bob Neill: The small business rate relief thresholds are set to target genuinely small businesses while ensuring that the costs are kept to a reasonable level for those businesses which pay for the scheme. The thresholds were uprated from 1 April 2010 in line with the general movement of rateable values at revaluation. In addition, we are doubling the level of small business rate relief in England for one year, from 1 October 2010.

Ordnance Survey

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce his decision on the Ordnance Survey's public task.

Bob Neill: The Government are continuing to think carefully about the Ordnance Survey's public task and will inform the House when a decision is made.

Ordnance Survey

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account he plans to take of the recommendations of the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information on the regulation of Ordnance Survey in its response to the consultation on the future of Ordnance Survey.

Bob Neill: The response to the consultation on "Policy options for geographic information from Ordnance Survey" received from the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information has been carefully analysed and continues to be considered. Officials from CLG have met with the chair of the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information a number of times to discuss the issues covered by the consultation.

Private Rented Housing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has for the development of  (a) local lettings agencies and  (b) the implementation of the recommendations of the Rugg review of private rented sector housing.

Andrew Stunell: On 10 June, my right hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for housing and local government announced that the coalition Government did not intend to implement the regulatory proposals which emerged from the Rugg review. We continue to work on other issues highlighted by the review, including how local authorities can best engage with the private rented sector.

Private Rented Housing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2010,  Official Report, column 894W, on private rented housing, what further meetings of his Department's task and finish groups have been held since 12 May 2010.

Andrew Stunell: The task and finish groups were established as part of the consultation exercise on the previous Administration's response to the Rugg review. No meetings of the task and finish groups have, therefore, been held since 12 May 2010.

Social Rented Housing: Argyll and Bute

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Argyll and Bute and  (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The number of surplus properties in the social sector is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England and Scotland report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Social Rented Housing: Birmingham

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in Birmingham, Erdington constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The number of surplus properties in the social sector is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Social Rented Housing: Lambeth

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2010,  Official Report, column 136W, on social rented housing: Lambeth, what eligibility criteria will apply to proposals for Decent Homes programme funding for arms-length management organisations once the outcome of the review is known.

Andrew Stunell: The criteria for the allocation of funding for ALMOs, including Lambeth, in future years will be dependent on the overall funding available to the Decent Homes programme, following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

Social Rented Housing: Lewisham

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of surplus one and two bedroom properties in the social sector in Lewisham constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The number of surplus properties in the social sector is not collected centrally.
	Local authorities and registered social landlords in England report information on the number of vacant dwellings owned. However, the Government do not consider vacant dwelling information an appropriate proxy measure of surplus housing. Also, this information is not reported for constituencies and is not reported by number of bedrooms.

Social Rented Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated by the Homes and Communities Agency to social housing providers for each project in Peterborough in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer on funding that I gave to the hon. Member for Wigan (Lisa Nandy) on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 84-85W.
	The Homes and Communities Agency has spent over £1 million in grant on new affordable housing schemes between April and the end of June 2010-11 in Peterborough. This funding can relate to starts on site or completions which may be from schemes starting on site in previous years.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will review the level of assistance provided by his Department to Bangladesh for education in the light of that country's levels of defence expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The Government of Bangladesh's defence spending is relatively low, budgeted at 1.2% of gross domestic product for 2010-11 compared to the 2.4% of GDP allocated to its education budget for the same period.
	The UK supports Bangladesh to reduce poverty and provide basic services, including health and education, because overall, Bangladesh's resources are very low relative to the investment needed. The UK's investment helped improve teaching training for 400,000 primary teachers in 2009 alone, improving the quality of education for millions of Bangladeshi children. This funding is supplementing Government investment, not substituting for it.
	The Secretary of State for International Development has commissioned a review of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) aid programmes to determine how we can achieve better value for money for the taxpayer and accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. Future support to Bangladesh, including education, will be determined as part of this review.

China

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of his Department's work in China.

Stephen O'Brien: The Secretary of State for International Development announced on 3 June that the bilateral development programme to China would end as soon as is practical. We want to work with China as partners, not as donors and recipients. My right hon. Friend will inform the House when any further decision is made regarding the closure of the programme.

Departmental Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many governance advisers are employed by his Department  (a) in total and  (b) in developing countries; and how many of these have (i) a degree in political science, politics or public policy and (ii) experience as an elected politician in national or local government.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) currently employs 96 governance advisers, 65 of whom work in developing countries. 44% of the total number of governance advisers work in fragile and conflict-affected states.
	All governance advisers are expected to have a post-graduate degree in the relevant subject area such as political science, economics or public administration or comparable post-graduate or professional qualifications and must demonstrate extensive proven experience of working effectively on governance issues in practice. Experience as an elected politician in national or local government is not required for governance advisers.

Departmental Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many economics advisers are employed by his Department  (a) in total and  (b) in developing countries; and how many of them have a degree in economics.

Andrew Mitchell: There are currently  (a) 110 economic advisers working in the Department for International Development (DFID), and  (b) 52 of these are working in developing countries. All DFID economic advisers have a degree in economics.

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Ministers in his Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

Alan Duncan: Neither the Department for International Development (DFID) nor the Government Cars Service (GCS) hold a central record of ministerial travel between DFID and the House of Commons. This information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. All travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code
	DFID has given notice to GCS that we are terminating our contracts for allocated ministerial cars and drivers for the Under-Secretary of State and myself and intend to use the new Government car pool for ministerial travel purposes as soon as this is in place.

Departmental Reorganisation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Alan Duncan: No.

Departmental Training

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training has been provided for Ministers in his Department since the formation of the present administration; and at what cost.

Alan Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 3 June 2010,  Official Report, column 52W. The National School of Government is funded through its Core Learning Programme to deliver induction and other training to Ministers, and there is no separate charge to Departments.
	Along with Ministers from other Government Departments, the Under-Secretary of State and I attended the 'Induction Workshop for New Ministers' run by the National School of Government.

Developing Countries: Infant Mortality

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will estimate the number of children who died up to the age of seven in least developed countries in the latest period for which figures are available, whose deaths would not have occurred if medical facilities available in the UK had been available; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) relies on the United Nations for data on international health. Under-five mortality data are collected rather than under-seven, as these data are required to measure progress on the child health Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
	According to the United Nations Children Fund's State of the World's Children Report 2010, the under-five mortality rate in the UK is six deaths per thousand which equates to approximately 4,000 deaths. The comparable under-five mortality rate for the least developed countries is 129 deaths per thousand which equates to just over 3.5 million deaths.

Guinea: Overseas Aid

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will hold discussions with the new government in Guinea on provision of aid to that country.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has no bilateral programme in Guinea and has no current plans to hold discussions with the Guinean Government on provision of aid. DFID does provide multilateral contributions to Guinea, primarily through the United Nations and World Bank. In 2008-09, total UK multilateral contributions to Guinea were around £1.7 million.
	The UK Government have instigated a full review of all DFID multilateral and bilateral spending.

International Assistance: Health Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to seek to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and 5 prior to the MDG Summit in September.

Stephen O'Brien: At the Muskoka summit the UK secured commitment by the G8 countries and others to save an extra 1.4 million lives of mothers and children, backed up by commitments of $7.3 billion of additional finance over the next five years.
	The next step is to catalyse the wider international community in decisive action. In September at the MDG summit, the UN Secretary-General will launch a Joint Action Plan for Women and Children's Health. The UK Government will press world leaders to attend the summit and make new commitments to this plan to further reduce deaths of mothers, babies and children.

International Assistance: Health Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will extend his Department's maternal health strategy to include children for the purposes of achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development is developing a new Business Plan on Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health. It seeks to increase women's ability to choose when and how often they have a child and increase the survival of women and babies during pregnancy and childbirth. This is intended to have a significant positive impact on families, economies and societies as well the health and empowerment of women themselves.
	Nearly 40% of deaths of children under five occur in the first month of life. Preventing unintended pregnancies and ensuring pregnancy and child birth is safe for all women make a vital contribution to child health.
	There is absolutely no intention to move away from our support to child health. This was demonstrated by the Prime Minister's recent commitments made at the G8 for women and children's health. There are numerous ways in which DFID demonstrates its commitment to child health. For example, we are increasing the number of children under five who are immunised against childhood diseases, backed by £150 million over 10 years to the GAVI Alliance. We work to tackle under-nutrition which contributes to one third of child deaths as well as one fifth of maternal deaths. We are increasing our support for the prevention and treatment of malaria. Some 90% of deaths from malaria are in children and malaria is the cause of one in five child deaths in Africa.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to help reduce Gaza's dependence on food aid; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK welcomes Israel's decision on 5 July to allow all goods into Gaza, except those on a prohibited list.
	Enabling a greater range and volume of foodstuffs to enter Gaza, including raw materials for agriculture and food industries, should lessen Gaza's dependence on food aid by spurring local production and making food more affordable.
	For this to happen, we are pushing all parties, including the Palestinian Authority, UN agencies, and international NGOs, to ensure that there is sufficient coordination and prioritisation of humanitarian and commercial goods entering Gaza, to best meet the needs of the population. We will also press the Government of Israel to ensure they deliver on their commitments.

Departmental Photographs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on official photographs of Ministers since the formation of the present administration.

Alan Duncan: Zero.

UN Millennium Development Goals: Meetings

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on progress in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in advance of the Millennium Development Goals Review Summit in September 2010.

Stephen O'Brien: The Secretary of State for International Development has discussed progress on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in advance of the Millennium Development Goals Summit in September 2010 with a range of ministerial colleagues including the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor. The Secretary of State, Minister of State and I also hold regular meetings. The UK is fully committed to securing an ambitious action orientated outcome from the MDG Summit.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he met opposition leader Abdullah on his recent visit to Afghanistan.

William Hague: I did not have the opportunity to meet Dr Abdullah Abdullah during my visit to Kabul on 22-23 May 2010, but I look forward to meeting him on a future occasion.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government plan to take to  (a) monitor and  (b) seek to reduce levels of anti-Semitism overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: Combating all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, remains an important part of the Government's human rights agenda. We condemn all instances of violence and discrimination against individuals and groups because of their race, faith or belief. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas missions have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in their host countries and routinely raise our concerns with host governments. Where possible our embassies take action on individual cases where persecution or discrimination has occurred and lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws. The Government also support the All Party Parliamentary Group against anti-Semitism and their work on tackling anti-Semitism across Europe and encourage MEPs to get involved in tackling anti-Semitism in their own countries. We will continue to promote these issues within the EU, the UN, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and other multilateral fora.

Anti-Semitism: International Cooperation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress his Department has made in implementing the provisions of the final declaration of the London Conference on Combating anti-Semitism, with particular reference to  (a) establishing an international taskforce of internet specialists to measure anti-Semitism online and propose international responses and  (b) exposing and isolating (i) governments and (ii) politicians engaging in anti-Semitism; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The implementation of the provisions of the London Conference on Combating anti-Semitism falls within the remit of the cross-Government working group to tackle anti-Semitism which is made up of officials from across Whitehall and the chief executives of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust. The working group is currently ensuring that the provisions within the declaration are taken forward and they plan to report back on progress at the second Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism (ICCA) Conference in Ottawa in November 2010.

Anti-Semitism: International Cooperation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on implementation of the provisions of the final declaration of the London Conference on Combating anti-Semitism; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We welcome the London Declaration on Combating anti-Semitism that was adopted in February 2009 and its important recommendations. We are committed to combating all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism. The implementation of the provisions of the London Conference on Combating anti-Semitism falls within the remit of the cross-Government working group to tackle anti-Semitism which is made up of officials from across Whitehall and the chief executives of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust. We look forward to the second Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism (ICCA) Conference in Ottawa in November 2010 as an opportunity for all participants to assess the progress that has been made.

British Nationality: Prisoners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens were serving prison sentences in  (a) each other EU member state and  (b) each non-EU state in each year since 1997.

Jeremy Browne: The following table shows a snapshot of British nationals in detention by country taken in March of each year from 2005. Figures were not collated centrally prior to 2005.
	
		
			  March 2010 
			   Number of British national prisoners 
			 Afghanistan 6 
			 Albania 3 
			 Algeria 1 
			 Antigua 5 
			 Argentina 12 
			 Australia 287 
			 Austria 4 
			 Azerbaijan 1 
			 Bahrain 2 
			 Barbados 13 
			 Belgium 12 
			 Bolivia 2 
			 Brazil 37 
			 Bulgaria 1 
			 Cambodia 8 
			 Canada 34 
			 Chile 1 
			 China 26 
			 Colombia 4 
			 Congo (Democratic Republic) 1 
			 Costa Rica 3 
			 Croatia 1 
			 Cyprus 11 
			 Czech Republic 1 
			 Denmark 3 
			 Dominica 1 
			 Dominican Republic 14 
			 Ecuador 10 
			 Egypt 24 
			 Estonia 2 
			 Ethiopia 6 
			 Fiji 1 
			 Finland 1 
			 France 133 
			 Gambia 2 
			 Germany 124 
			 Ghana 5 
			 Greece 16 
			 Grenada 6 
			 Guatemala 2 
			 Guyana 8 
			 Hungary 1 
			 India 14 
			 Indonesia 11 
			 Iran 2 
			 Iraq 2 
			 Ireland 101 
			 Israel 1 
			 Italy 35 
			 Jamaica 65 
			 Japan 29 
			 Kenya 2 
			 Korea (South) 1 
			 Kuwait 11 
			 Laos 1 
			 Latvia 1 
			 Lebanon 1 
			 Luxembourg 3 
			 Malaysia 2 
			 Malta 9 
			 Mexico 1 
			 Mongolia 1 
			 Montenegro 1 
			 Morocco 11 
			 Namibia 1 
			 Nepal 1 
			 Netherlands 33 
			 New Zealand 7 
			 Norway 34 
			 Oman 5 
			 Pakistan 27 
			 Panama 10 
			 Papua New Guinea 1 
			 Peru 34 
			 Philippines 19 
			 Poland 3 
			 Portugal 25 
			 Qatar 4 
			 Romania 4 
			 Saudi Arabia 3 
			 Senegal 3 
			 Serbia 3 
			 Sierra Leone 1 
			 Singapore 4 
			 Slovakia 1 
			 Slovenia 2 
			 South Africa 15 
			 Spain 346 
			 Sri Lanka 4 
			 St Lucia 4 
			 St Kitts 1 
			 Sweden 24 
			 Switzerland 9 
			 Syria 6 
			 Taiwan 18 
			 Tanzania 1 
			 Thailand 90 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 14 
			 Tunisia 3 
			 Turkey 24 
			 United Arab emirates 55 
			 USA 652 
			 Uzbekistan 1 
			 Venezuela 14 
			 Vietnam 2 
			 Yemen 1 
			 Total 2,649

British Nationality: Prisoners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens serving prison sentences in  (a) each other EU member state and  (b) non-EU states for convictions which may be unsafe; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We do not centrally collate statistics in cases where there are allegations of fair trial concerns.
	If appropriate, we will consider approaching the local authorities if a prisoner is not treated in line with internationally accepted standards. This may include cases where a trial does not follow internationally recognised standards for a fair trial.

Central Asia

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Minister next plans to make a visit to Central Asia.

David Lidington: I will visit Kazakhstan on 16-17 July for the informal meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. While there I expect to have a bilateral discussions with ministerial colleagues from the region and beyond.

College of Europe: Scholarships

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many scholarships to the College of Europe his Department funds.

David Lidington: None. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will be providing financial support for up to 11 eligible students to study at the College of Europe in 2010-11.

Colombia: Trade Unions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the safety of trade unionists in Colombia; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The safety of trade unionists in Colombia remains of great concern to us. Our embassy in Colombia continues to visit those who are under threat and we make representation to the Colombian authorities in cases of violence or intimidation against trade unionists. We are also working with the UN on a research initiative to help improve trade union human rights protection and the development of positive labour relations.

Departmental Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the internal background note relating to each parliamentary question for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day tabled by the hon. Member for Southend West and answered by his Department since June 2009.

David Lidington: In line with the practice of successive Governments, it is not normal practice to routinely publish internal advice to Ministers.

Embassies: Buildings

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 23-24W, on departmental public expenditure, which assets from his Department's overseas estates he intends to sell; and what estimate he has made of the likely contribution to the public purse of such a sale.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is planning to sell at least £25 million of assets in Financial Year 2010-11. We have identified 61 properties potentially surplus to requirements. The timing of any sales will suit operational requirements and in some cases will be dependent on a replacement property being secured either on lease terms or as purchases where this represents an overall capital gain and represents value for money.
	Of those 61, the following properties are currently either under offer or have been sold and are expected to generate £11.4 million in capital receipts. A schedule of properties sold or under offer is as follows
	
		
			  Schedule of properties sold or under offer 
			   Property 
			 Dar es Salaam House + four flats 
			 Ibadan Amenity property 
			 Nairobi House 
			 Colombo Office compound 
			 Kuala Lumpur House 
			 Seoul Three houses 
			 The Hague Two houses 
			 Brussels House 
			 Oporto Office 
			 Berlin House 
			 Dublin House 
			 Palma Office 
			 Portimao Office 
			 Copenhagen House

EU Law: Fines

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what total sum in financial corrections has been levied against the UK over the past 10 years for failing to implement European Community legislation; what sum is currently outstanding; and what sum was subsequently written off.

David Lidington: Article 260 of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union allows the European Court of Justice to fine member states for failing to implement European Community legislation.
	No fines have ever been levied against the UK by way of Article 260 proceedings.

EU Law: Fines

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which cases since 2001 the Council of Ministers meetings have decided to amend financial corrections levied by the Commission against member states.

David Lidington: The position in relation to infraction fines imposed under article 260 of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union (TFEU) depends on the nature of the infraction.
	Where the infraction is for non-notification of transposition of a directive, then the Commission may specify in its application to the Court, a level of fine to be paid by a member state, but the final decision rests with the Court and the Court may not impose a fine which exceeds the amount specified by the Commission.
	In relation to other infractions, when it applies to Court the Commission must specify a level of fine to be paid by a member state, but the final decision rests with the Court.
	The Council of Ministers is not involved in this process.

European External Action Service

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to bring forward proposals for the accountability of the European External Action Service to Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: As a service, the European External Action Service (EEAS) will be accountable to both the European Parliament and the Member States in the Council in their roles as budgetary authority. In so far as it acts in the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) areas, the EEAS will be accountable, through the High Representative, to the Council. In so far as it acts in areas of EU policy, it will be accountable to the Commission (as a collegiate body), the European Parliament and the Council, in accordance with their respective competences and roles.
	Parliament is able to scrutinise decisions taken in Council, some of which will mandate the High Representative, and hold the Government to account through, for example, ministerial evidence sessions and debates on the Floor of the House.

Ghana: Official Visits

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will extend an invitation to the President of Ghana to visit the United Kingdom.

Henry Bellingham: We are keen to look into all ways to further develop our bilateral relationship with Ghana and other partners in Africa. Visits are an integral part of that.
	The President of Ghana's successful Guest of Government visit to the UK in 2009 strengthened our excellent bilateral relationship. This Government have quickly reinforced that success with the Vice-President of Ghana's visit to the UK from 6 to 8 July 2010. We will look at the possibility of a further visit at a future date.

Indonesia: Human Rights

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will support the request to the UN by the Republic of Vanuatu for the International Court of Justice to provide an advisory opinion on the legality of the agreement between the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands affecting the civil rights of the people of West Papua.

Jeremy Browne: The UK supports the territorial integrity of Indonesia. We do not support calls to ask the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on whether the New York Agreement was contrary to the UN Charter or the UN General Assembly Resolution 1514. The UN General Assembly took note of the New York Agreement between Indonesia and the Netherlands in Resolution 1752. This has been the policy of successive Governments and remains unchanged by the Government.
	We will continue to monitor the situation, raise human rights concerns at both official and ministerial level, encourage the Indonesian authorities to address these concerns, and advocate meaningful devolution, appropriate security measures and greater transparency in Papua.

Israel: Passports

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Israel about the misuse of British passports.

Jeremy Browne: We cannot accept the fraudulent misuse of British passports. The Serious Organised Crime Agency report into the misuse of British passports pointed to Israeli involvement. In March my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) welcomed the previous Government's request for formal assurance that in the future the state of Israel would never be party to the misuse of British passports. We continue to seek these assurances from the Government of Israel.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of Qassam rockets being fired from Gaza into southern Israel; whether he has had discussions with the Government of Israel on that matter since his appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK is aware of sporadic rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel and we have urged all militants to refrain from such attacks. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary underlined this in his statement of 2 June 2010.
	We are in regular dialogue with the Israeli Government particularly on matters pertaining to the peace process and we continue to urge all parties not to change any facts on the ground which might undermine the peace process. Both the Foreign Secretary and I reiterated this to the House on 6 July 2010.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received recent reports of the vandalism of a UN summer camp for children in the Gaza Strip; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: According to the UN on 28 June, a group of masked gunmen entered a UN summer games camp. This is the second such attack against a UN summer camp in a month.
	UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon condemned the incident and called on the local authorities in Gaza to combat any incitement against UN operations and ensure the safety of UN personnel and programmes, which serve the most vulnerable in Gaza.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of  (a) rockets and  (b) mortar bombs launched into Israeli territory from (i) Lebanon and (ii) Gaza since 1 January 2010; what reports he has received of the number of persons (A) killed, (B) seriously injured and (C) slightly injured; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Since 4 January 2010 we have received reports of 263 rockets launched into Israeli territory, with one fatality in March. We condemn unequivocally the indiscriminate rocket attacks launched from Gaza.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take at the United Nations in respect of the reported Qassam rockets fired from Gaza into southern Israel during June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are extremely concerned by sporadic rocket attacks against southern Israel. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement to the House on 2 June 2010, it is important for Hamas to take immediate and concrete steps towards the Quartet principles.
	A number of issues related to the middle east are discussed on a monthly basis at the UN. The UK will continue to push for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1860 which aims to prevent the illicit trafficking of arms into Gaza. We will continue giving our full support to the UN Sanctions Committee in pursuing and investigating sanctions violations.

Nepal: Religious Freedom

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with the Government of Nepal on religious freedoms in that country under its new constitution; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We have concerns about the impact of some of the draft proposals for inclusion in the new Nepalese constitution. It is important that the new constitution protects religious freedoms in a manner consistent with Nepal's international commitments. We already have a dialogue with the Government of Nepal and political parties where we stress the importance of ensuring that the new constitution is fully in line with the obligations of international human rights treaties, including on religious freedoms. We have also raised the matter with the chair of the Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles Committee, responsible for drafting the relevant constitutional provisions on religious freedom, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with the National Human Rights Commission, among others. We will continue this dialogue.

Nigeria: Foreign Relations

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the President of Nigeria since the President's swearing-in.

Henry Bellingham: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not yet had any discussions with His Excellency President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria. However, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to the President on 28 May 2010 and they also met at the G8/G20 meeting in Toronto on 26 June 2010. Our bilateral relationship with Nigeria is important and we enjoy a close dialogue across a range of priorities.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the Government has provided to British citizens who were aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla since they returned to the UK.

Alistair Burt: I invited those British nationals involved to meet me on 17 June 2010. 16 of them attended and I was able to listen to their experiences and set out what we were able to do. Consular officials have also spoken to many of those involved.
	I have set out in PQ numbers 6785, 6787 and 6716 what we have done to assist the individuals in clarifying the whereabouts of, and retrieving, their possessions and the missing passports. The UK has spent significant time and resources assisting British nationals in this case, including exceptional assistance beyond our normal policy, in view of the specific circumstances.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the Israeli Government's willingness to grant consular access to British citizens detained on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 2 June 2010 that he was disappointed and dissatisfied with the Israeli response to the consular situation. He criticised their preparedness and the chaotic nature of the Israeli organisation. The Heads of EU missions in Israel have written jointly to the Israelis expressing their unhappiness at the consular provisions for a planned operation.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Israeli Government that evidence be taken in public from British citizens who were aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in any inquiry into the matter.

Alistair Burt: The Israeli authorities have yet to set out the exact details on how the inquiry will be conducted. Broadly, the Commission's mandate states that it may request any individual or entity, whether Israeli (other than military personnel) or foreign, to testify before it or to provide information to it by other means, on matters which the Commission believes to be relevant to its proceedings.
	As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary underlined in his statement on 21 June 2010 it is important that the Commission provide a full, credible, impartial and independent investigation that the international community can respect.
	When I met with the returnees on 17 June I made it clear that we believe the inquiry should have access to the testimony of the British nationals involved. I have raised this issue with the Israeli ambassador.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps were taken by the UK Embassy in Israel to contact the next of kin of British nationals detained on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

Alistair Burt: We had contact with a large number of family and friends before we were able to gain consular access to the British nationals who were detained, and provided them with as much information as we were able to on what was happening to reassure them. The Data Protection Act limits what we can discuss about an individual until we have received their consent.
	UK consular staff visited the detained British nationals in Be'er Sheva Prison and saw most of them. From those they met they took contact details of the next of kin they wanted us to contact. Consular staff in London and on the ground telephoned those for whom we were given details. Consular staff offered phone facilities for the British nationals to call their next of kin when they arrived in Istanbul after being deported from Israel.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has estimated the value of possessions confiscated from British citizens on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla by the Israeli authorities which have not yet been returned.

Alistair Burt: We have made no such estimate. We have set out clearly what we have done and will be doing to assist those whose possessions are still missing, and made clear to the returnees what next steps they might consider.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in his Department's work with its international counterparts to secure progress towards peace, security and a higher quality of life for both Palestinians and Israelis.

Alistair Burt: We support a two-state solution created by negotiation and confidence-building on both sides, rather than the creation of facts on the ground that are intended ultimately to change the shape of such a solution.
	We welcome the commitment shown by both the Israelis and the Palestinians towards proximity talks. We seek to buttress the diplomatic initiative of President Obama's Administration and the proximity talks currently underway and will be strong supporters of those building the institutions of a future Palestinian state, while actively exploring with our European partners the scope for further EU action in this area, building on the foundation of December's Foreign Affairs Council conclusions.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to encourage Israel to allow Palestinians to travel to hospitals outside Palestinian-controlled territory.

Alistair Burt: The UK is in regular contact with the Israeli and Palestinian Governments and our international allies regarding the current humanitarian situation in Gaza and the wider issues relating to the peace process. Together with the EU and the Quartet we have called on Israel to ease restrictions on movement and access in the territories. It is essential that there be unfettered access to the Palestinian territories to meet the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. This includes facilitating access to medical care outside of the Palestinian territories.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in efforts to lift the Gaza blockade to allow the import of construction materials.

Alistair Burt: We welcome Israel's decision to move from a list of 120 permitted goods to a list of specific prohibited items. This step shows that it is possible to lift the pressure on ordinary Gazans without compromising the security of ordinary Israelis. All parties must now work together urgently to deliver real change on the ground. This will mean building capacity at the crossings, getting vital reconstruction projects up and running and ensuring that Gazans can export as well as import goods.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary underlined the importance in his statement of 5 July 2010 and I also reiterated this in the House on 6 July 2010,  Official Report, column 159.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel on the blockade on Gaza since the agreement to substitute the list of allowed items for the list of banned items.

Alistair Burt: We are in regular contact and dialogue with the Israeli Government, on a number of matters related to the Middle East Peace Process-this includes the current humanitarian situation in Gaza.
	We have made clear that the situation in Gaza is a tragedy and unsustainable. Together with the EU and Quartet, we have called on Israel to ease restrictions on access and enable a return to economic normality. I therefore welcomed Israel's decision to move from a list of 120 permitted goods to a list of specific prohibited items. As I said to the House on 6 July 2010, the pressure that has been exerted on Israel in recent times by the EU, the UK, the US and the Quartet for a relaxation on the restrictions in Gaza has had an effect.
	It is now imperative that all parties work together urgently to deliver real change on the ground.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the security of British citizens detained following the raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla of the confiscation of their passports by the Israeli authorities.

Alistair Burt: All passports which were confiscated by the Israeli authorities were cancelled as soon as the British nationals in question were issued with temporary travel documents. I can further confirm that we have now received all three missing passports and they are being returned to their owners.

Russia: Extradition

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made any recent representations to the Russian authorities on the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi.

David Lidington: We are committed to seeking justice in the Litvinenko case. This was a crime which took place in the UK and involved a British citizen. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised the death of Alexander Litvinenko at his meeting with President Medvedev on 25 June.

United Nations: Climate Change

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing a UN body to adjudicate on climate change disputes.

Henry Bellingham: The UK is committed to working for an ambitious climate change deal through the UN that will give confidence that global action is sufficient to keep temperature rise within two degrees centigrade. There are a number of proposals, such as the establishment of a new World Trade Organisation style organisation, for helping to ensure the enforcement of such a deal. Like others we are currently giving them due consideration within the UN negotiation and have not yet come to a settled view on which would be most effective. In coming to a conclusion with partners in the negotiation, it will be necessary to balance the need for a meaningful compliance mechanism with the importance of the deal being negotiable and acceptable so as to include all the major emitters.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in child maintenance arrears is owed in each constituency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and arrange for a copy of the table to be placed in the Library. I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a table showing the amount of child maintenance arrears owed in each constituency.
	The table, which has been placed in the Library, shows the amount of child maintenance arrears owed by non-resident parents as of March 2010, for cases administered on the Agency's computer systems, based on the parliamentary constituency of the non-resident parent.
	It is not possible to allocate arrears on cases managed off the Agency's Computer System among constituencies so the figures will not sum to the total reported in the Quarterly Summary of Statistics published in March 2010.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Disability Living Allowance: Dartford

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of disability living allowance in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.

Maria Miller: Recipients of disability living allowance in the parliamentary constituency of Dartford.
	
		
			  As at November each year  Total 
			 2009 3,960 
			 2008 3,720 
			 2007 3,530 
			 2006 3,340 
			 2005 3,200 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Parliamentary constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament for May 2005. 3. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended for example if they are in hospital. 4. This information is published on our website at http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

Future Jobs Fund: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding has been allocated from the Future Jobs Fund to each London borough in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available at borough level. However, in the London region, we have allocated £46.3 million.

Future Jobs Fund: Tower Hamlets

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs in the  (a) public,  (b) private and  (c) third sector have been created by the Future Jobs Fund in Tower Hamlets in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available at borough level. The most recent official statistics, covering the period October 2009 to January 2010, show that there were 840 recorded future jobs fund starts in London.

Homelessness

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on specialist support for homeless people to return them to work in the last five years; and how much is planned to be spent in 2010-11.

Chris Grayling: The information available is as follows. It should also be noted that homeless people are also helped by mainstream employment provision such as Flexible New Deal:
	(1)  The London Homeless Partnership( 1)
	
		
			£ 
			 Expenditure 2007-08 426,000 
			  2008-09 433,000 
			  2009-10 434,000 
			 Planned 2010-11 438,000 
		
	
	(2)  The St Mungo's Single Homelessness Enterprise Invest to Save Project( 2)
	
		
			£ 
			 Expenditure 2007-08 84,000 
			  2008-09 187,000 
			  2009-10 201,000 
			 Planned 2010-11 97,000 
		
	
	(3)  progress2work-LinkUp
	This programme helps people who are homeless, and also people for whom drug or alcohol misuse, or an offending background is a barrier to work. Figures on how much of the funding for this programme is spent on homeless customers are not available.
	(1) The amounts shown are staff costs only. Other costs could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information prior to 2007-08 is not available.
	(2) This is a three-year project that ends in September 2010.

Housing Benefit

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the  (a) number of private sector tenants whose local housing allowance will be reduced and  (b) average per week reduction in the level of local housing allowance paid to each for each broad rental market area in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in West Lancashire constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average amount of reduction for such a tenant in each of those years.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in Stretford and Urmston constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average reduction in each of those years.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in Makerfield constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is for the average reduction in each of those years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average reduction in each of those years.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in Worsley and Eccles South constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average reduction in each of those years.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in  (a) Glasgow North and  (b) Ealing Central and Acton constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average weekly reduction in each of those years.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in  (a) Slough,  (b) Salisbury and  (c) Scarborough and Whitby constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average reduction in each of those years.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in Lewisham East constituency whose housing benefit allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average amount of reduction for such a tenant in each of those years.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Argyll and Bute and  (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average reduction in each of those years.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average reduction among such tenants in each of those years.

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of private sector tenants in Birmingham, Erdington constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced from its current level in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what his estimate is of the average amount of reduction for such a tenant in each of those years.

Steve Webb: We will publish an impact assessment for the housing benefit changes that will affect the calculation of local housing allowance rates on 23 July 2010.

Housing Benefit

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age who are (i) employed and (ii) unemployed,  (c) social sector tenants and  (d) private sector tenants who are in receipt of housing benefit in (A) Bishop Auckland and (B) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants receiving housing benefit in West Lancashire constituency.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age who are unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants receiving housing benefit in Stretford and Urmston constituency.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) persons of working age in work,  (c) persons of working age who are unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants on housing benefit in (i) Slough, (ii) Salisbury and (iii) Scarborough and Whitby constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) persons of working age in work,  (c) persons of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age who are unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants receiving housing benefit in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age who are unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants receiving housing benefit in (i) Glasgow North and (ii) Ealing Central and Acton constituency.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) persons of working age in work,  (c) persons of working age who are unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Lewisham East constituency.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) persons of working age in work,  (c) persons of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in (i) Ashfield, (ii) Argyll and Bute and (iii) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) persons of working age in work,  (c) persons of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Cynon Valley constituency.

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) persons of working age in work,  (c) persons of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Birmingham Erdington constituency.

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age who are (i) in work and (ii) unemployed,  (c) social sector tenants and  (d) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Clwyd South constituency.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) persons of working age in work,  (c) persons of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Newcastle upon Tyne North constituency.

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age who are (i) employed and (ii) unemployed,  (c) social sector tenants and  (d) private sector tenants in East Lothian constituency.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age who are (i) employed and (ii) unemployed,  (c) social sector tenants and  (d) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Bristol East constituency.

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Bristol North West constituency.

Steve Webb: The information is not available at the constituency level.
	The available information on housing benefit recipients is published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hbctb_release_jun10.xls
	An exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the housing benefit data: this will include parliamentary constituencies. It is hoped this exercise will be completed by early 2011.

Housing Benefit

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of housing benefit were paying rent at or below the 30th percentile in their local area at the latest date for which information is available.

Steve Webb: We are currently updating our estimate of how many people in receipt of housing benefit were paying rent at or below the 30th percentile in their local area, so as to use the latest housing benefit and market evidence data. Following quality assurance, this updated estimate will be included in the impact assessment of the housing benefit changes that will affect the calculation of local housing allowance rates. The Department will publish this on 23 July 2010.

Housing Benefit

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of non-dependants living in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in Lewisham East constituency.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of non-dependants living in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Argyll and Bute and  (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of non-dependants living in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in Cynon Valley constituency.

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of non-dependants living in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in Birmingham Erdington constituency.

Steve Webb: The information is not available.

Housing Benefit

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he received from the Mayor of London on proposed changes to housing benefit  (a) before and  (b) after 22 June 2010.

Steve Webb: The Department has not received any representations from the Mayor of London in connection with the changes to housing benefit that were announced in the Emergency Budget.

Housing Benefit

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of private tenants who may not be able to afford their rents as a result of the reduction in housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We will publish an impact assessment for the housing benefit changes that will affect the calculation of local housing allowance rates on 23 July 2010.

Housing Benefit

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of non-dependants living in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in Newcastle upon Tyne North constituency.

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of non-dependents living in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in East Lothian constituency.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of non-dependants in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in Bristol East constituency.

Steve Webb: The information is not available.

Housing Benefit

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to assess the effects of calculations based on broad market rental areas (BMRAs) on  (a) Blackpool,  (b) Cambridge and  (c) other areas; what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of local housing allowance payments of the operation of BMRAs in those areas; and if he will adjust the BMRA for those areas to take account of the variation in rent levels within each BMRA.

Steve Webb: Local housing allowance (LHA) rates for all broad rental market areas in England, Scotland and Wales are published by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) on their website:
	www.voa.gov.uk
	The VOA has also published on their website indicative LHA rates at the 30(th) percentile based on data used to produce the June 2010 rates in England.
	The Scottish Government have published indicative LHA rates at the 30(th) percentile based on data used to produce the July 2010 LHA rates in Scotland. These are available on the Scottish Government website:
	www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/PrivateRenting/rent-registration-service-setting-lha/Figures/LHAJULY2010
	This will be updated each month until LHA rates are set at the 30(th) percentile from October 2011.
	Indicative LHA rates at the 30th percentile for broad rental market areas in Wales are not as yet published but are given in the following table. The rates are based on July 2010 data.
	We will consider how best to set housing benefit areas in future as part of our longer term reform plans.
	
		
			  30th Percentile calculation-Wales 
			  £ 
			  Broad Rental Market Area  Shared 1 bedroom  1 bedroom  2 bedroom  3 bedroom  4 bedroom 
			 Blaenau 45.00 64.62 76.92 86.54 107.31 
			 Brecon and Radnor 50.00 65.00 87.00 103.85 115.38 
			 Bridgend 49.00 77.31 98.08 105.00 150.00 
			 Caerphilly 54.00 71.54 92.31 100.00 138.46 
			 Cardiff 54.23 98.08 126.92 144.23 184.62 
			 Carmarthen 51.00 70.00 87.69 99.23 115.38 
			 Ceredigion 63.50 80.77 98.08 110.00 126.92 
			 Flint 55.00 75.00 103.85 121.15 155.77 
			 Merthyr Cynon 45.00 65.00 80.00 87.69 110.00 
			 Monmouth 56.54 86.54 114.23 132.69 173.08 
			 Newport 50.00 76.15 103.85 115.38 150.00 
			 North Clwyd 60.00 75.00 97.00 115.38 148.85 
			 North Powys 50.00 60.00 80.77 92.31 126.92 
			 North West Wales 50.00 65.00 85.38 98.08 121.15 
			 NPT 54.00 75.00 87.69 98.08 114.23 
			 Pembroke 54.00 77.54 92.31 115.38 150.00 
			 South Gwynedd 50.00 60.00 73.85 83.08 80.00 
			 Swansea 51.92 85.00 103.85 110.00 155.77 
			 Taff Rhondda 45.00 62.00 84.23 90.00 126.92 
			 Torfaen 60.00 80.77 92.31 110.77 132.69 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 51.92 93.75 115.38 126.92 173.08 
			 Wrexham 55.00 69.23 98.08 115.38 150.00 
			  Note: The rates are based on July 2010 data.  Source:  Rent Officers Wales

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010 to the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith,  Official Report, column 95W, on housing benefit, how many households receive maximum housing allowance of £104,000 annually.

Steve Webb: In June 2010 the highest local housing allowance rate was £2,000 a week which would be equivalent to 'receiving £104,000 a year in housing benefit' assuming the individual remains in receipt of the same level of benefit for 52 continuous weeks.
	Information on housing benefit awards in June 2010 will be available in September 2010. The latest information the Department holds is for March 2010, when the highest local housing allowance rate was £1,800, and shows that there were some customers who received this rate.
	The highest local housing allowance rate can vary each month and customers' awards will reflect the rate at the time of their claim. At March 2010 there were fewer than 100 customers receiving a housing benefit award based on the highest local housing allowance rate at the time their award was calculated.

Incapacity Benefit: Medical Examinations

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 364-5W, on incapacity benefit, whether further audit of a medical report subject to targeted or random audit ceases at the discovery of the first failure of contractual compliance; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The whole report is audited and does not cease at the identification of a serious error.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Cynon Valley constituency.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 80 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Cynon Valley.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Argyll and Bute and  (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 115 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Ashfield, 55 in Argyll and Bute, and 10 in Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
	The figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Wakefield constituency.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 120 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Wakefield.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Birmingham Erdington constituency.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 160 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Birmingham Erdington.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in East Lothian constituency.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 75 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in East Lothian.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Bristol East constituency.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 55 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Bristol East.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Greater London

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in  (a) Hampstead and Kilburn constituency and  (b) the London Borough of (i) Camden and (ii) Brent.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 170 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Hampstead and Kilburn, 345 in Camden, and 475 in Brent.
	The figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lewisham

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Lewisham East constituency.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 205 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Lewisham East.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Lone Parents: Bishop Auckland

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of lone parents in  (a) Bishop Auckland and  (b) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency.

Maria Miller: In 2008, there were estimated to be 2,200 lone parents in Bishop Auckland, and 2,900 lone parents in Blackpool North and Cleveleys. These figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. The estimates are based on the Household Annual Population Survey (HAPS). The latest available wave for the HAPS is 2008. It is important to note that as with any sample survey estimates from the HAPS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. At the constituency level the group in question is very specific and the estimates are based on very small sample sizes. Therefore, the margin of uncertainty is very large for these estimates and the figures are deemed unreliable and would not be used by the Department for Work and Pensions for practical purposes.

Lone Parents: Greater Manchester

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents there are in Stretford and Urmston constituency.

Maria Miller: In 2008, there were estimated to be 3,100 lone parents in Stretford and Urmston. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 100. The estimate is based on the Household Annual Population Survey (HAPS). The latest available wave for the HAPS is 2008. In 2008 parliamentary constituency boundaries were different. The information given reflects the population in the current boundaries as closely as possible. It is important to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the HAPS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. At the constituency level the group in question is very specific and the estimate is based on very small sample sizes. Therefore, the margin of uncertainty is very large for this estimate and the figure is deemed unreliable and would not be used by the Department for Work and Pensions for practical purposes.

Lone Parents: Houghton and Sunderland South

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents there are in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency.

Maria Miller: In 2008, there were estimated to be 3,300 lone parents in Houghton and Sunderland South. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 100. The estimate is based on the Household Annual Population Survey (HAPS). The latest available wave for the HAPS is 2008. In 2008 parliamentary constituency boundaries were different. The information given reflects the population in the current boundaries as closely as possible. It is important to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the HAPS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. At the constituency level the group in question is very specific and the estimate is based on very small sample sizes. Therefore, the margin of uncertainty is very large for this estimate and the figure is deemed unreliable and would not be used by the Department for Work and Pensions for practical purposes.

Lone Parents: Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents there are in Kingston upon Hull North constituency.

Maria Miller: In 2008, there were estimated to be 3,800 lone parents in Kingston upon Hull North. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 100. The estimate is based on the Household Annual Population Survey (HAPS). The latest available wave for the HAPS is 2008. In 2008 parliamentary constituency boundaries were different. The information given reflects the population in the current boundaries as closely as possible. It is important to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the HAPS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. At the constituency level the group in question is very specific and the estimate is based on very small sample sizes. Therefore, the margin of uncertainty is very large for this estimate and the figure is deemed unreliable and would not be used by the Department for Work and Pensions for practical purposes.

Medical Examinations

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 364-5W, what the differences are between the medical service standards referred to and the contractual standards of the agreement between his Department and the medical services contractor.

Chris Grayling: There are no differences between Medical Services standards and the contractual standards. Medical Services standards are specified in the contract between Atos Healthcare and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Pension Protection Fund

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the deficit was of the Pension Protection Fund on the latest date for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The last audited figure, published in the Pension Protection Fund's 2008-09 Annual Report and Accounts (page 16), reported that it had a funding ratio of 88%, with a deficit of £1,230 million.
	At the time of publication, in November 2009, the PPF said
	"The lack of big claims and improvements in the investment markets since March mean we estimate that, by the end of September, our deficit had fallen back below the £1 billion mark and our funding ratio had returned to more than 90%".
	The Pension Protection Fund's 2009-10 Annual Report and Accounts will be presented to Parliament later this year.

Pensioners

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit in Wakefield constituency.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency: Wakefield 
			   Number 
			 State Pension recipients 17,110 
			 Pension credit individual beneficiaries 5,600 
			 Pension credit household recipients 4,540 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State Pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of State Pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic State Pension, but are receiving additional State Pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic State Pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Pensioners

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit in Cynon Valley constituency.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency: Cynon Valley 
			   Number 
			 State Pension recipients 13,790 
			 Pension credit individual beneficiaries 5,510 
			 Pension credit household recipients 4,390 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State Pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of State Pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic State Pension, but are receiving additional State Pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic State Pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Pensioners

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit in Birmingham, Erdington constituency.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the table.
	
		
			   Birmingham, Erdington  p arliamentary constituency 
			 State pension recipients 15,200 
			 Pension credit individual beneficiaries 8,040 
			 Pension credit household recipients 6,700 
			  Notes:  1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. State pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only.  3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies.  4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming.  5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009.

Pensioners

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the table.
	
		
			   East Lothian  p arliamentary constituency  Great Britain 
			 State pension recipients 20,070 11,312,340 
			 Pension credit individual beneficiaries 5,390 3,353,830 
			 Pension credit household recipients 4,500 2,739,860 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State pension figures are for the total state pension case load. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Pensioners: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Bristol East constituency receive  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the table.
	
		
			   Bristol East parliamentary constituency 
			 State pension recipients 16,110 
			 Pension credit individual beneficiaries 5,240 
			 Pension credit household recipients 4,360 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State pension figures are for the total state pension case load. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Pensions: Public Sector

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects his Department's review into public sector pensions to  (a) commence and  (b) be completed; what remuneration will be provided to Mr John Hutton for undertaking the review; what secretarial support he will be provided with; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	The Independent Public Service Pensions Commission was launched on 20 June. Details of the terms of reference and initial call for evidence can be found on the Treasury website under Independent Reviews at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/indreview_johnhutton_pensions.htm
	The Independent Commission is due to report in time for Budget 2011.
	It has been agreed that John Hutton will be paid £4,000 per month for a minimum of three days per week while conducting the review which is expected to last for a nine-month period and travel and subsistence expenses will paid in line with Treasury policy. The team to support the commission's work is not yet fully established, but John Hutton does have access to a business support manager to assist with secretarial duties.

Rents

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the level of  (a) 50th percentile rents in 2010-11 and ( b) 30th percentile rents in 2011-12 for (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five bedroom properties in Lewisham East constituency.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the level of  (a) 50th percentile rents in 2010-11 and  (b) 30th percentile rents in 2011-12 for (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five bedroom properties in Hampstead and Kilburn constituency.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper) on 6 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 184-85W.

Social Security Benefits

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) employment and support allowance in (i) Ashfield, (ii) Argyll and Bute and (iii) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information is provided as follows:
	
		
			  Employment support allowance claimants, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and disability living allowance: November 2009 
			   Parliamentary constituency 
			   Ashfield  Argyll and Bute  Na h-Eileanan an Iar 
			 ESA 900 620 160 
			 IB/SDA 5,100 3,260 1,060 
			 DLA 7,030 4,670 1,370 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Case load for DLA show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 5. IB/SDA 'Claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, ie 'credits only cases'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Great Yarmouth constituency are in receipt of  (a) incapacity benefit,  (b) employment support allowance and  (c) disability living allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information is provided as follows:
	
		
			  Employment support allowance claimants, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and disability living allowance: November 2009 
			   Great Yarmouth parliamentary constituency 
			 ESA 710 
			 IB/SDA 4,460 
			 DLA 6,260 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied.  3. Caseload for DLA show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 5. IB/SDA 'Claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a National Insurance Credit, i.e. 'credits only cases'  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) employment support allowance in Cynon Valley constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Disability living allowance and employment support allowance claimants in Cynon Valley parliamentary constituency, November 2009 
			   Cynon Valley parliamentary constituency 
			 DLA 7,740 
			 ESA 930 
			  Notes:  1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008.  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied.  3. Caseload for DLA show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  5. IB/SDA "Claimants" include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, i.e. "credits only cases".   Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of the Independent Living Fund.

Maria Miller: We will be considering the future position of the Independent Living Fund in the context of the spending review and our commitment to review the role and spending of all non-departmental public bodies.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether all Independent Living Fund funding approved before the change to the eligibility criteria will be disbursed.

Maria Miller: The priority of the Independent Living Fund is to support people who are already users of the fund. The Independent Living Fund will be able to honour its commitments to all existing users and to proceed with all the cases where it has already made an offer of new funding.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the level of overpayment of  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) attendance allowance,  (c) child maintenance,  (d) maternity grant,  (e) pension credit,  (f) cold weather payment,  (g) housing benefit,  (h) council tax benefit,  (i) employment and support allowance,  (j) carer's allowance and  (k) bereavement benefits in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: National Statistics estimating the level of fraud and error in the benefit system are published every six months covering a rolling 12-month period.
	The percentage levels of overpayment in each of the past five years, for the benefits which are measured, are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimated level of overpayment due to fraud and error: 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			  Percentage 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1) 
			 Disability living allowance(3) 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 
			 Pension credit(2) 4.7 5.3 5.1 5.1 4.4 
			 Housing benefit(2) 5.5 5.1 4.6 4.9 4.4 
			 Carer's allowance(3) 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 
			 (1) The 2009-10 figure is a preliminary estimate (2) For housing benefit and pension Credit the fraud and error estimates are obtained from continuous measurement exercises. (3) Disability living allowance (DLA) and carer's allowance (CA) are estimated from "one off" exercises covering a financial year, called National Benefit Reviews. DLA was last measured for 2004-05 and CA was last measured in 1996-97.  Source: Fraud and Error in the Benefit System: October 2008 to September 2009 
		
	
	Attendance allowance, maternity grant, cold weather payment, council tax benefit, employment and support allowance and bereavement benefits are all unreviewed benefits. The rate of fraud and error on unreviewed benefits is estimated in a broad fashion, but the figures are not published separately. Where suitable proxies exist, percentage-of-expenditure results from reviewed benefits that are similar are used. Where such proxies are not available, the average of all measured benefits is used.
	Child maintenance in Great Britain is the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. The Commission is a Crown non-departmental public body.

TREASURY

Energy: Subsidies

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which official in his Department is responsible for global energy subsidy reform policy;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to implement the recommendations of the Joint Report of the International Energy Authority, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Bank on implementation of the G20 decision to reform energy subsidies.

Justine Greening: At the G20 summit in Pittsburgh leaders asked a number of international organisations to provide a joint report including analysis of the scope of energy subsidies and suggestions for the implementation of their commitment to phase out and rationalise inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, while providing targeted support for the poorest.
	At the recent G20 summit in Toronto leaders noted with appreciation the joint report provided by the international organisations. They also encouraged continued and full implementation of country-specific strategies to rationalise and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption, taking into account vulnerable groups and their development needs.
	Work by HM Treasury on global energy subsidies is led from within its International and Finance Directorate. Tom Scholar, the Second Permanent Secretary, is responsible for this directorate.

Bank Levy

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the amount of corporation tax revenue to the Exchequer from the financial services sector which will result from the reduction in the corporation tax rate from 2011-12 to 2014-15 announced in the June 2010 Budget.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobson) on 1 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 610-11W.

Business: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to increase access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises.

David Gauke: The Chancellor announced immediate steps to increase access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Emergency Budget. This included:
	an extension to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, which was increased by £200 million for this year to support additional lending for SMEs of up to £700 million until 31 March 2011;
	a commitment to the Growth Capital Fund, which will provide growth capital in the range of £2 million to £10 million to growing SMEs; and
	the launch of a new Enterprise Capital Fund, which will provide £37.5 million in equity finance to SMEs with high growth potential.
	Small and medium-sized enterprises will also benefit from other announcements in the Budget, including the reduction in the corporation tax rate for smaller companies to 20%.
	To underscore the Government's commitment to ensuring that all viable businesses have access to the finance they need over the long term, the Budget also announced the publication of a Green Paper on business finance. This will consider the broad range of finance options facing businesses of different sizes and invite views on priorities and future approaches to enhancing businesses' access to appropriate sources of finance.

Child Tax Credit

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households with annual incomes of over  (a) £15,000 and  (b) £30,000 in (i) England, (ii) Leicester and (iii) Leicester West constituency are in receipt of child tax credits.

David Gauke: Analysis of the number of households with incomes over £15,000 and £30,000 in England, Leicester and Leicester West constituency is shown in the following table. This information is based on provisional information of families receiving tax credits as at April 2010.
	
		
			  Number of families by household income 
			   £15,000 to £30,000  Over £30,000 
			 England 1,369,055 1,547,800 
			 Leicester 9,035 4,955 
			 Leicester West 2,145 2,045 
		
	
	Further details about the snapshot data used for this analysis can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010". This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Climate Change Levy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reform the Climate Change Levy to provide a price floor for carbon.

Justine Greening: As announced in the Budget, the Government will publish proposals in the autumn to reform the climate change levy to provide more certainty and support to the carbon price. Subject to that consultation, the Government will bring forward relevant legislation in Finance Bill 2011.

Departmental Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many buildings his Department occupies in  (a) London and  (b) the UK.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury occupies two buildings in the UK, one of which is in London.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent  (a) in total and  (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose.

Justine Greening: The information covering the Treasury Group work managing diversity and equality obligations is set out in the following table. The figures include funding for reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities as required by the Disability Discrimination Act.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 59,543.82 
			 2008-09 75,665.15 
			 2009-10 107,199.32 
		
	
	In addition, one full-time equivalent member of Treasury staff is employed to work explicitly on equality and diversity issues.
	The Treasury's Single Equality Scheme is available online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about_equality.htm
	and sets out how the Department will meet the requirements of the equality duties in its policy formulation and as an employer.

Employment

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will publish each assessment made by his Department of the effects of implementation of the proposals in his Budget Statement on  (a) public sector employment and  (b) private sector employment in the UK in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14, (v) 2014-15 and (vi) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the effects of the proposals in the June 2010 Budget on the number of jobs in the  (a) public and  (b) private sector in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: To continue with the previous fiscal plans would put the recovery at risk. By acting now, the Government have reduced the risk of adverse market conditions, which would mean higher interest rates for all, stifling recovery and making the challenges ahead even harder.
	The OBR released further information on its employment forecast on 30 June 2010. The OBR forecasts show that total employment is expected to rise by 1.3 million by 2015-16.
	The OBR forecast release can be found on the following webpage:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Sajid Javid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 51-2WS, on Equitable Life, what progress he has made on his plans to make fair and transparent payments to Equitable Life policyholders through an independently designed payment scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable has been set for making payments to former Equitable Life policy holders; and when he expects the first such payment to be made.

Mark Hoban: Later this month, the Government will provide a detailed update on the steps towards implementing an independently designed payments scheme. This will be alongside Sir John Chadwick's report on relative losses suffered by Equitable Life policyholders as a consequence of the findings of maladministration and injustice made by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

European Parliament: Finance

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the  (a) size of the budget of the European Parliament in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011 and (b) the annual (A) nominal and (B) percentage change in the size of the budget in each of the last five years; what proportion of the budget heading 5 (administration) of the European Union budget is accounted for by the European Parliament budget; and if he will take steps in the Council of Ministers to reduce the costs of the European Parliament.

Justine Greening: The UK contribution faces upward pressure due to the 2005 abatement giveaway worth around €2 billion per annum by 2012.
	Each year, the European Parliament (EP) budget accounts for around 20% of Heading 5 (administration) of the EU budget. The following table contains detailed data on the EP budget.
	The European Parliament budget in 2010 represented just under a fifth of total spend under Heading 5. At a time when European voters are experiencing the effects of tough fiscal consolidation measures, the European Parliament needs to ensure that it is delivering maximum value for money for every euro it receives.
	The UK was one of only a few member states to reject an amendment to the 2010 EU budget, increasing the European Parliament's budget this year by 9.4 million euros.
	The EP budget for 2011 has not yet been agreed, so it is not possible to give data on the EP budget for that year. However, the Government believe that the proposal in the Commission's draft budget for 2011 of €8,255 million spend on administration overall is too high and must be reduced. The Government are arguing that payments in the 2011 EU budget should remain at cash levels equivalent to the 2010 budget. Further, we will continue to engage with counterparts across the EU to build support where possible to end the wasteful dual sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and Brussels.
	
		
			  € million 
			   2010  % change  2009( 1)  % change  2008  % change  2007  % change  2006  % change  2005  % change 
			 European Parliament 1,616 5.7 1,530 5.3 1,453 3.9 1,398 5.7 1,322 4.6 1,264 5.0 
			 Heading 5 (admin.) 7,898 - 7,695 - 7.279 - 6,978 - 6,604 - 6,351 - 
			 EP as a proportion of H5 20.46 - 19.88 - 19.96 - 20.03 - 20.02 - 19.90 - 
			 (1) European Parliament numbers from 2005-07 are source: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/budget/www/index-en.htm

Gift Aid

Julian Huppert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effects on  (a) charities and  (b) Exchequer revenue of allowing gift aid arrangements to apply in full to donations made by higher rate tax payers.

Justine Greening: HM Revenue and Customs estimate that £1,007 million in gift aid repayments and transitional relief were made to charities in 2009-10. Higher rate relief, available to donors who are higher rate income tax payers, on gift aid donations to charities totalled £310 million in 2009-10.
	Independent research commissioned by HMRC in 2009 suggested that approximately 80% of all higher rate relief available on donations is claimed.

Insolvency: Football

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been written off in tax revenue by the Exchequer in cases where Football Association football clubs have gone into administration in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: The information is not readily available centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Loans: Sheffield Forgemasters

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an estimate of the effect on gross domestic product of withdrawing the £80 million loan from Sheffield Forgemasters.

Danny Alexander: HM Treasury does not normally hold the detailed information required to provide an estimate of the effect of such projects on gross domestic product.

Loans: Sheffield Forgemasters

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an estimate on the effect on the balance of payments of withdrawing the £80 million loan to Sheffield Forgemasters.

Danny Alexander: HM Treasury does not hold the detailed information required to provide an estimate of the net effect of such projects on the balance of payments.

Office for Budget Responsibility: Public Appointments

David Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who will undertake the responsibilities for the Office for Budget Responsibility discharged by Sir Alan Budd until a successor is appointed; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: Sir Alan Budd is stepping down as chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) when his contract expires on 13 August 2010. Geoffrey Dicks and Graham Parker will continue to serve as interim members of the Budget Responsibility Committee until a permanent chair of the OBR has been appointed and they will be discharging the OBR's responsibilities.

Pregnant Women: Grants

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many health in pregnancy grants were made to people in  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Argyll and Bute and  (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency in 2009-10.

David Gauke: This information is available only at disproportionate cost.

Pregnant Women: Grants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the effects on  (a) expectant mothers and  (b) the welfare of newborn children of the abolition of the health in pregnancy grant.

Justine Greening: The health in pregnancy grant will be available to all pregnant women until 1 January 2011 and therefore women who were pregnant at the time of the Budget announcement will receive this payment.
	The Government's priority is to make sure that the measures they takes are fair. Therefore they have significantly increased the child element of child tax credits to ensure that the impact of the measures taken within the Emergency Budget will not have a measurable impact on child poverty rates within the next two years.

Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual  (a) capital,  (b) non-cash resource and  (c) near cash resource departmental underspend of each Government department in fiscal year 2009-10.

Danny Alexander: Provisional outturn of departmental capital, near-cash resource and non-cash resource expenditure against final DEL provision for the financial year 2009-10 will be reported in the forthcoming Public Expenditure Provisional Outturn White Paper (PEOWP).

Public Expenditure

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether equality impact assessments will be used in determining the areas of his Department's budget in respect of which spending will be reduced.

Justine Greening: The Treasury will ensure the relevant equality considerations are taken in to account in the context of its own departmental budget in compliance with our obligations under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on public spending control, what assessment he has made of the implications for Wales of the savings announced.

Danny Alexander: The changes announced on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, do not have any additional impact on the savings announced for Wales.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to footnote 1 of Table 9.2 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, July 2010, how much the  (a) end year flexibility and  (b) reserve claims are for Wales.

Danny Alexander: End year flexibility drawdown for Wales totalled £331.3 million in 2009-10. The Welsh Assembly Government did not have any reserve claims in 2009-10 although they drew capital expenditure of £90.7 million forward from 2010-11.

Public Finance

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what projects of each department have been included in the review of major spending projects approved by the previous administration between 1 January 2010 and the general election; and how much was planned to be spent under each.

Danny Alexander: On 17 June I announced the outcome of a review of 217 projects that had been approved by the previous Government between 1 January 2010 and the general election. 12 projects were cancelled as they did not demonstrate value for money, were unaffordable or did not reflect the Government's priorities, and a further 12 projects were suspended as more detailed work is needed as part of the spending review process.
	Details of projects cancelled or suspended, including the spending that had been approved for each project, have been deposited with the Libraries of the House of Commons and the House of Lords (deposit number DEP2010 1320)(1). A comprehensive list of all the remaining projects neither cancelled nor suspended has also been deposited with Parliaments Libraries (deposit number DEP2010 1327)(2).
	(1) Paper laid in the Libraries of the House of Commons and House of Lords listing projects cancelled or suspended can be found at
	http://www.parliament.uk/deposits/depositedpapers/2010/DEP2010-1320.doc
	(2) Paper laid in the Libraries of the House of Commons and House of Lords listing projects neither cancelled nor suspended can be found at
	http://www.parliament.uk/deposits/depositedpapers/2010/DEP2010-1327.doc

Public Sector: Pensions

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what remuneration will be provided to Mr John Hutton for conducting the review of public sector pensions.

Danny Alexander: The Independent Public Service Pensions Commission was launched on 20 June. Details of the terms of reference and initial call for evidence can be found on the Treasury website under Independent Reviews at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/indreview_ johnhutton_pensions.htm
	The Independent Commission is due to report in time for Budget 2011.
	It has been agreed that John Hutton will be paid £4,000 per month for a minimum of three days per week while conducting the review which is expected to last for a nine-month period and travel and subsistence expenses will paid in line with Treasury policy. The team to support the commission's work is not yet fully established, but John Hutton does have access to a business support manager to assist with secretarial duties.

Rents

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the level of  (a) 50th percentile rents in 2010-11 and  (b ) 30th percentile rents in 2011-12 for (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five bedroom properties in (A) Glasgow North and (B) Ealing Central and Acton constituency.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the level of  (a) 50th percentile rents in 2010-11 and  (b) 30th percentile rent in 2011-12 for (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five bedroom properties in (A) Ashfield, (B) Argyll and Bute and (C) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Helen Goodman) on 6 July 2010,  Official Report, column 184-5W.
	The Glasgow North, Argyll and Bute, and Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituencies are a matter for the devolved Administration.

Rents

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of  (a) 50th percentile rents in 2010-11 and  (b) 30th percentile rents for (i), one, (ii), two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five bedroom properties in Birmingham Erdington constituency in 2011-12.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the  (a) 50th percentile rent in 2010-11 and  (b) 30th percentile rents in 2011-12 for properties of (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five bedrooms in Bristol East constituency.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper) on 6 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 184-85W.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what premises at each location in Northern Ireland are  (a) owned and  (b) leased by HM Revenue and Customs.

David Gauke: The majority of HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) premises in Northern Ireland, along with the rest of its estate, were included in the 2001 Strategic Transfer of the Estate to the Private Sector (STEPS) outsourcing deal with Mapeley. HMRC occupies these premises under the terms of the contract with Mapeley rather than by the terms of a traditional lease. HMRC also occupies premises in Northern Ireland by way of sharing arrangements with other Government Departments and holds two premises by way of a traditional lease.
	HMRC Revenue and Customs (HMRC) retains ownership of one property in Northern Ireland, Custom House in Belfast. However as part of the STEPS deal, Mapeley have been granted a long lease of the property, and HMRC now occupies the premises under the terms of the STEPS contract and not as the freehold owner.
	Details of HMRC's holdings of premises at each location in Northern Ireland are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Location  Premises name  HMRC holding 
			 Antrim Crown Buildings Government sharing arrangement 
			 Ballymena Kilpatrick House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Banbridge Bridgewater House Leased 
			 Belfast Windsor House Government sharing arrangement 
			 Belfast Carne House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Belfast Beaufort House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Belfast Scrabo Street, car park Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Belfast Harbour Office, Spaces 1-57 Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Belfast Custom House Owned/Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Belfast Dorchester House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Belfast Millennium House Leased 
			 Coleraine Fern House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Craigavon Marlborough House Government sharing arrangement 
			 Enniskillen Abbey House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Lisburn Moira House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Londonderry Foyle House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Newry Custom House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Newry Downshire House Mapeley, STEPS contract 
			 Omagh Crown Buildings Government sharing arrangement

Self-Employed Contributions: Fraud

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the loss of revenue to the Exchequer from people falsely claiming to be self-employed  (a) in total and  (b) in the construction industry in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The loss of revenue to the Exchequer from people falsely claiming to be self-employed is not known. However information is available from the Construction Industry Scheme for individuals working in the construction industry. The loss of revenue to the Exchequer for people falsely claiming to be self-employed in the construction industry is estimated to be around £350 million using 2009-10 tax and national insurance rates.

Tax Avoidance

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition of the terms  (a) tax avoidance and  (b) tax efficiency his Department uses.

David Gauke: The Government have not published a definition of avoidance. However it is widely understood to entail taking a view of the tax treatment of a transaction that is tenable but has tax consequences that were not intended by the legislature. This does not prevent taxpayers organising their affairs in an efficient manner, consistent with the intentions of the legislation. Tackling tax avoidance is essential and we make every effort to do so.
	The Government consider the economic efficiency of tax measures as part of the tax policy-making process.

Tax Avoidance

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take  (a) to reduce the levels of tax avoidance and  (b) to close tax loopholes.

David Gauke: The Government are committed to tackling tax avoidance and will continue to take necessary steps to protect the Exchequer and maintain fairness in the tax system.
	The Emergency Budget set out the Government's intention to build in sustainable defences against avoidance opportunities when undertaking policy reform and by reviewing areas of the tax system in which repeated changes have been necessary to close loopholes.
	Chapter 2 of Budget document also announced a number of specific measures to counter tax avoidance.

Taxation

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the additional tax the Exchequer will recover from all individuals with incomes  (a) below the personal allowance threshold set in the Budget,  (b) above the personal allowance level but below the 40 per cent. tax threshold,  (c) above the 40 per cent. threshold but below the 50 per cent. threshold and  (d) above the 50 per cent. threshold as a result of (i) the proposed rise in the rate of value added tax and (ii) other tax measures in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

David Gauke: The Government have provided analysis of Budget measures to be in place by 2012-13 in Annex A of the Red Book and the total yield for each measure is provided in Table 2.1. The combined impacts of tax, tax credits and benefit changes have been assessed by household expenditure and income as set out in Annex A of the Red Book. Analysis of VAT at an individual level could be misleading as although goods and services are purchased by an individual they may be utilised by other individuals within the household. The Government therefore believe that analysis at a household level is the most appropriate. It is not possible to provide the total additional tax paid by individuals in the different income tax bands of all other tax measures.

Taxation: Banks

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what statistical forecast his Department has made of the effect on revenues to the Exchequer of the bank levy announced in the June 2010 Budget.

Mark Hoban: The estimated impact on the Exchequer of the bank levy and the analysis underpinning these estimates are set out in the following Budget 2010 document:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf

Taxation: Environment Protection

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of the revenue to accrue to the Exchequer attributable to green taxes in 2011-12 as a result of the proposals in the Budget of  (a) March and  (b) June 2010.

Justine Greening: The total percentage of revenue raised by environment taxes, as a proportion of all taxes in the March 2010 Budget, was 0.4%. The total percentage of revenue raised by environment taxes, as a proportion of all taxes in the June 2010 Budget, was also 0.4%.
	Landfill tax, aggregates levy, climate change levy have been included in this estimate. EU Emissions Trading Scheme revenues have also been included as the receipts have been provisionally scored as tax revenues in the Budget, and the policy objective is primarily environmental.
	The Government are committed to playing their part in moving to a low carbon economy. This transition will change the shape of industry, growth and jobs. The recent Budget announced the Government's:
	intention to consult in the autumn on changes to climate change levy in order to support the carbon price;
	commitment to make proposals post-spending review to create a Green Investment Bank; and
	confirmed plans to legislate in this parliamentary session to create a Green Deal for home energy efficiency.

Taxation: Gaming Machines

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to announce the results of his Department's consultation on the replacement of amusement machine licence duty by a gross profit tax regime for gaming machines.

Justine Greening: The consultation on whether to move the taxation of gaming machines from the current system of Amusement Machine Licence Duty and VAT, to a gross profits tax, ended in October 2009.
	This has raised a number of issues, which are under discussion with gambling stakeholders.

Taxation: Self-Assessment

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how long on average it takes to obtain a tax return form following an initial request; what steps he is taking to reduce that time; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The majority of self assessment tax returns and 'Notice to Complete a Tax Return' (SA316) are automatically issued in April each year. Paper tax returns generated at other times take an average of one week to reach the customer. Self assessment tax returns along with supplementary pages and guidance are available on the HM Revenue and Customs website.
	The majority of self assessment tax returns are filed electronically.

Taxation: Sheffield Forgemasters

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an estimate of the effect on tax revenues of withdrawing the £80 million loan to Sheffield Forgemasters.

Danny Alexander: Neither HM Treasury nor HM Revenue and Customs hold the detailed information required to provide an estimate of the effect of such projects on all tax revenues.
	Indirect effects of spending measures on tax revenues are not usually accounted for in Budget scorecard costings and the public finances only include such impacts if they are substantial and certain enough to affect the macroeconomic forecasts.

VAT: Charities

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many registered charities are registered for value added tax in  (a) Wrexham,  (b) Wales and  (c) the UK.

David Gauke: This information is not available.
	HM Revenue and Customs does not categorise separately VAT registrations belonging to charities.

VAT: Fuel Poverty

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on those living in fuel poverty of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: There was no change in the budget to the rate of VAT on domestic fuel and power, which continues to be 5%.
	Analysis of the impact of indirect taxes, of which the increase in the standard rate of VAT is the most significant change, is provided in Annex A of the Red Book on both an income decile and expenditure decile basis.

Welfare State: Reform

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the net full-year effect on the Exchequer is of changes to social security benefits announced in the June 2010 Budget.

David Gauke: Table 2.1 of the June 2010 Budget provides a breakdown of the direct fiscal impacts of the social security policy decisions, and Table C14 shows the combined net direct and indirect effects of all the Budget policy decisions on the social security forecast, together with other forecasting changes since the pre-Budget forecast. Chapter C also sets out the Office for Budget Responsibility's approach to forecasting the indirect economic and fiscal impacts of the Budget policy decisions.

Welfare Tax Credits

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits have an annual income of over £30,000 in Cynon Valley constituency.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits have an annual income of over £30,000 in Wakefield constituency.

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits have an annual income of over £30,000 in Birmingham Erdington constituency.

David Gauke: Analysis of the number of households with incomes over £30,000 in the aforementioned constituencies is shown in the following table. This information is based on provisional information of families receiving tax credits as at April 2010.
	
		
			  Constituency  Number of households with income over £30,000 
			 Birmingham Erdington 1,925 
			 Cynon Valley 1,365 
			 Wakefield 2,750 
		
	
	Further details about the snapshot data used for this analysis can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010". This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Coventry South and in receipt of tax credits have an annual income of over £30,000.

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits in Clwyd South constituency have an income of over £30,000.

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Milton Keynes North constituency in receipt of tax credits have an annual income of over £30,000.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits in Bristol East constituency have an income of over £30,000.

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits in East Lothian constituency have an income of over £30,000.

David Gauke: Analysis of the number of households with incomes over £30,000 in the aforementioned constituencies is shown in the following table. This information is based on provisional information of families receiving tax credits as at April 2010.
	
		
			  Constituency  Number of households with Income over  £30,000 
			 Bristol East 2,640 
			 Clwyd South 2,110 
			 Coventry South 3,365 
			 East Lothian 3,080 
			 North East Milton Keynes 2,330 
		
	
	Further details about the snapshot data used for this analysis can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010'. This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of households in each UK region are in receipt of tax credits and have an annual income above £30,000.

David Gauke: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of households in receipt of tax credits with household income over £30,000 
			  UK region  Percentage 
			 England 25 
			 Northern Ireland 21 
			 Scotland 26 
			 Wales 22 
			 UK average 25 
		
	
	This analysis is based on provisional information on families receiving tax credits as at April 2010. Further details about these data can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010'. This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Birmingham

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Birmingham Erdington constituency are in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) incapacity benefit.

Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance and incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants: November 2009. Parliamentary constituency Birmingham, Erdington 
			   Number 
			 Disability living allowance 7,320 
			 Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance 5,420 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Caseload for DLA show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 percent WPLS

Welfare Tax Credits: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits in each London constituency have an annual income above £30,000.

David Gauke: This information is published in the HMRC publication 'Household Income distribution of Tax Credits families by Westminster Constituency-April 2010'.
	A copy has been placed in the Library of the House and will be published on HMRC's website shortly.

Working Tax Credit

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the changes to the tax credits announced in the June 2010 Budget will have on the childcare element of the working tax credit.

David Gauke: No changes to the child care element of the working tax credit were made at the June Budget 2010.
	The reforms that were made at June Budget 2010 do not have a direct impact on the child care element of the working tax credit. The size and nature of the changes to tax credit awards following the reforms will be the same for households of equivalent income and size whether they are claiming the child care element of the working tax credit or not.

Working Tax Credit: Birmingham

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Birmingham Erdington constituency in the annual income band of  (a) £10,000 to £20,000,  (b) £21,000 to £30,000,  (c) £31,000 to £40,000,  (d) £41,000 to £50,000,  (e) £51,000 to £60,000 and  (f) £60,000 or more are in receipt of tax credits.

David Gauke: The information requested is shown in the following table. This information is based on provisional information of families receiving tax credits as at April 2010.
	
		
			  Families in receipt of tax credits by income band in the Birmingham Erdington constituency 
			  Household income  Number 
			 £10,000-£20,000 4,730 
			 £20,000-£30,000 2,765 
			 £30,000-£40,000 1,840 
			 £40,000-£50,000 635 
			 50,000-£60,000 265 
			 Over £60,000 155 
		
	
	Further details about the data used for this analysis can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010". This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

HOME DEPARTMENT

Counter-terrorism: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the  (a) automatic number plate recognition and  (b) CCTV equipment installed in Sparkbrook, Moseley, King's Heath and Washwood Heath under Project Champion had the facility for (i) facial recognition and (ii) monitoring of conversations;
	(2)  what the location is of each  (a) automatic number plate recognition and  (b) CCTV device installed in (i) Sparkbrook, (ii) Moseley, (iii) King's Heath and (iv) Washwood Heath for the purposes of Project Champion; and whether each such device was located with the purpose of monitoring a specific individual or individuals.

James Brokenshire: The equipment under Project Champion, whether ANPR or CCTV, does not have either facial recognition or audio monitoring facilities.
	The locations of the cameras installed under Project Champion are provided in maps (marked with stars) of Hall Green and Washwood Heath constituencies which have been placed in the Libraries of the House. It should be noted that there are a number of locations starred on the map where there are multiple cameras in the same place.
	ANPR provides a tactical option to disrupt, deter and detect criminal activity and, by doing so, helps to increase public confidence in the police. The technology automatically reads vehicle registration marks (VRMs) allowing these details to be compared against database records. Therefore, ANPR does not "track" every journey but relies on intelligence-led policing and flags VRMs which are linked to criminality and allows the police to focus on those engaged in unlawful activity; law-abiding road users go unhindered by ANPR technology.
	ANPR systems are used by the police, government agencies and commercial companies including petrol forecourts, shopping centres and car parks. The system design and intended use of Project Champion ANPR capability is consistent with policy, practice and guidance from ACPO, NPIA and extensive evaluation studies including former Police Standards Unit work on behalf of Home Office.
	With regard to CCTV, I am advised that no device was located with the purpose of monitoring a specific individual or individuals. The system design and intended use of Project Champion CCTV capability is consistent with existing force policy, including advice contained in the CCTV Privacy Masking Guide issued by the British Security Industry Association.
	It is important to note that on 5 July 2010 West Midlands police announced that a number of cameras installed under Project Champion would be removed, and that the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit would no longer have any involvement with the scheme. This follows an earlier announcement in June that the activation of the cameras would be suspended, pending a full public consultation later this summer.
	This Government will never compromise the safety and security of the British public but neither will we sacrifice their civil liberties for their security. The Government sees a need to re-examine the balance between liberty and security and, as part of this broader agenda, is looking closely at the regulatory framework for both CCTV and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems. Work is currently under way with a view to bringing forward proposals as soon as possible.

Dorset Police: Promotion

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to prevent Dorset constabulary promoting police officers shortly before their due retirement date.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 5 July 2010
	For promotions below chief officer level the decision as to which officers are promoted rests with the chief officer of the individual police force concerned. To support this decision, each police force is responsible for developing and implementing a fair and equitable promotion process that clearly identifies the best candidates available for the force to promote into its leadership positions.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) oversees the national processes in place to identify police officers who have the skills required to be good leaders at the rank of sergeant and inspector. The Senior Police National Assessment Centre is the promotion process to assistant chief constable, and police authorities appoint chief officers.
	Police officers nearing the end of their service are eligible to apply for, and if successful, be selected for promotion. To do otherwise could disadvantage the individual and potentially deprive the service of a person of quality. Such a decision may also breach age discrimination legislation.
	The Home Secretary has announced a full review of the remuneration and conditions of service for police officers and staff.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many pages of guidance the UK Border Agency has issued to licensed sponsors in the last 24 months;
	(2)  how many institutions have had their licences revoked since the roll-out of tier 4 of the points-based immigration system; and how many of these were  (a) Highly Trusted Sponsors,  (b) accredited by the British Council and  (c) inspected by Ofsted.

Damian Green: In the last two years the UK Border Agency has issued 1,501 pages of guidance to licensed sponsors covering tiers 2, 4 and 5. This will include reissue of guidance on specific tiers. At present the tier 2 and 5 guidance stands at 83 pages and the tier 4 guidance at 70 pages.
	As at 30 June 2010, 47 sponsors have had their tier 4 licence revoked since 31 March 2009. Of these none held a Highly Trusted Sponsor licence, five were accredited by the British Council and none was inspected by Ofsted.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal migrants identified in the last 12 months, who initially entered the UK through the student visa system, had been sponsored by Highly Trusted Sponsors.

Damian Green: The number of illegal migrants identified in the last 12 months, who initially entered through the student visa system and who are now being sponsored by a Highly Trusted Sponsor is nil. The Highly Trusted Sponsor scheme came into force on 6 April 2010.

Immigration Controls: English Language

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the UK Border Agency plans to take to publicise the new English language requirement for those making immigration applications as spouses and partners.

Damian Green: On 9 June 2010,  Official Report, column 11WS, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced a new language requirement for those seeking entry to the UK as either a spouse or civil partner, fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, unmarried partner or same sex partner of a British citizen or someone who is present and settled in the UK.
	The announcement on 9 June received extensive publicity both in the UK and overseas. Information about the new policy for those making immigration applications is currently available on the UK Border Agency website. A further publicity campaign is planned.

Police: Demonstrations

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues to local police forces on the policing of marches and demonstrations by  (a) the English Defence League and  (b) the British National Party; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 1 July 2010
	The Home Office has not issued guidance as the policing of marches and demonstrations is an operational matter for chief officers. The police have a range of powers to deal with any criminal activity that takes place at a demonstration. The police are committed to using their powers to ensure local communities and property are protected and I understand that a number of individuals have been arrested and charged at previous demonstrations. Local police forces do work closely with local community leaders in planning the policing of such demonstrations, and ACPO have provided good practice advice for these events.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Billing

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to reduce the number of late payments to small businesses.

Mark Prisk: UK payment data as reported by Experian show that the time taken for payments to suppliers across the economy in May 2010 was 0.5 days faster than the level recorded in May 2008. This welcome improvement has been underpinned by action to drive down public sector payment times, to encourage and promote best practice in the private sector and to improve access for businesses to best practice on managing cash flow.
	The public sector is now paying suppliers faster than ever before. For the private sector, Experian calculate that Prompt Payment Code signatories now represent over 60% of UK supply chain value and there have been over 165,000 downloads of the Managing Cash Flow guides:
	http://www.creditmanagement.org.uk/bisguides.htm
	Experian analysis of invoices submitted to four FTSE100 companies showed that many invoices were submitted deficient or late or both. We also know that over half of UK business transactions are not covered by pre-agreed payment terms and that nine out of ten suppliers fail to credit check their customers regularly. Supporting UK business to better manage cash flow and customer relationships can therefore make a huge impact upon payment times and we are working with the UK's leading finance and business representative organisations to improve awareness.

Business: Females

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on the economy of increasing the number of women setting up businesses.

Mark Prisk: Estimates based on the latest available data indicate that an increase in the number of majority women-led businesses by 100,000 would lead to an additional £7 billion of annual output in the economy.

Business: Government Assistance

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in  (a) Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill constituency,  (b) North Lanarkshire local authority area and  (c) Scotland have participated in the Working Capital Scheme since its inception.

Mark Prisk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Stirling (Mrs McGuire) on 30 June 2010,  Official Report, column 564W.

Copyright

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to bring forward legislation to provide for  (a) an orphan works exception,  (b) a format shifting exception and  (c) extended collective licensing.

Edward Davey: The Government are considering, but have not yet reached a view, on what further work is needed on copyright, and the form such work would take.

Copyright Tribunal

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Second Special Report of the Science and Technology Committee, Session 2007-08, HC 637, when he plans to complete the proposed reforms to the Copyright Tribunal.

Edward Davey: The Government note the significant changes which have been made to the Copyright Tribunal since the Select Committee report was published. These include the introduction of new rules of procedure; the appointment of lay members with commercial experience; and a new secretariat. The Government hope that these changes, which were welcomed by users, will make the tribunal a more accessible, cheaper and faster forum in which to resolve disputes.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on public spending control, what the breakdown by  (a) budget area and  (b) local authority area is of the £265 million reduction in expenditure to be made from his Department.

Edward Davey: BIS expects to make savings of £265 million from the following programmes in financial year 2010-11.
	
		
			  Programme   Savings (£ million) 
			 Working Capital Scheme (1)EYF (1)65.00 
			 Trade Credit Insurance (1)- (1)- 
			 Sheffield Forgemasters (1)- (1)- 
			 Automotive Assistance Package Reserve claim 200.00 
			 Total  265.00 
			 (1 )Indicates a brace. 
		
	
	The Department has made no assessment of how these savings are broken down at a local authority or regional level. The nature of the programmes affected renders any such assessment impractical.

Departmental Public Expenditure

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on public spending control, under which budgetary headings he expects his Department to make savings of £265 million in fiscal year 2010-11.

Edward Davey: BIS expects to make savings of £265 million from the following programmes in financial year 2010-11: Sheffield Forgemasters; the Automotive Assistance Programme; Working Capital Scheme and Trade Credit Insurance.

Departmental Reorganisation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Edward Davey: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the cost to his Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations in the last 12 months.

Edward Davey: Like any employer, the Department has to act in accordance with a wide variety of regulation, ranging from for instance health and safety law to employment law. However, it is not standard accounting practice to distinguish regulatory compliance costs from overall running costs, whether of EU origin or domestic.
	There is therefore no pre-existing breakdown of the costs imposed on it by EU regulations upon which the Department can draw to produce an estimate of such compliance. To produce such an estimate would be a major undertaking, and would involve disproportionate expenditure. By way of comparison, the administrative burdens measurement exercise, which provided an indicative estimate of administrative burdens across the UK economy, cost in excess of £10 million to undertake.

Flexible Working

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps have been taken to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees; what progress has been made on plans for the proposed consultation with businesses on this issue; and what timetable is planned for implementation of the proposal.

Edward Davey: I intend to consult on my plans to extend to the right to request flexible working to all employees later in the year.
	The result of this consultation will inform the timetable for implementation going forward. I shall of course work closely with colleagues in Northern Ireland as my plans develop.

Post Codes: Databases

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what cost-benefit analysis his Department has undertaken in respect of providing free public access to the Post Code Address File.

Edward Davey: None. The PAF is owned and maintained by Royal Mail who are responsible for the costs involved in maintaining the data. Royal Mail is a business operating at arm's length from Government and competing with private sector postal operators. It is therefore appropriate for Royal Mail to be compensated for the use of the PAF data by third parties.

Post Offices

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will undertake a review of the performance of Post Office Ltd in delivering outreach services for the purposes of increasing its effectiveness, with particular reference to services in Wangford in Suffolk.

Edward Davey: I have asked David Smith, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which of the services offered in a post office branch are not offered by a post office essentials service.

Edward Davey: I have asked David Smith, the Managing Director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Post Offices: Public Consultation

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether Post Office Ltd is required to publish all responses from public consultations on  (a) services,  (b) closures,  (c) premises moves and  (d) other changes; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy that Post Office Ltd should not start preparatory work on a premises move which is subject to an ongoing public consultation.

Edward Davey: I have asked David Smith, the Managing Director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Public Houses

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of pubs which are linked to pub companies; what recent assessment he has made of the level of competitiveness of such pubs; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: This Department does not collect information on the ownership of pubs. Such information is available in commercially produced reports. This Department has not made any recent assessments into the level of competitiveness within the sector. However, the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee and the Office of Fair Trading have recently looked into a range of competition issues impacting on the sector.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value was of tax incentives provided for research and development in each year from 2005-06 to 2009-10; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such incentives; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
	The numbers and costs of R and D tax credit claims are published as National Statistics on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/randdtcmenu.htm
	The most recent figures, published on 18 December 2009, cover financial years up to 2007-08. Figures for 2008-09 are scheduled to be published in October 2010; those for 2009-10 are not available.
	As part of the plans for corporate tax reform, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the Emergency Budget that the Government will consult with business in autumn 2010 to review the taxation of intellectual property, the support R and D tax credits provide for innovation and the proposals of the Dyson review.

Science: Higher Education

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the infrastructure capacity of local colleges to enable them to deliver the practical component of applied science programmes for students of external university degree programmes.

John Hayes: Universities are responsible for the facilities and delivery of all their higher education courses including those delivered in a further education college. However, where the college is directly funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) it is also eligible for capital funding from that source.
	HE courses delivered in FE colleges are subject to external scrutiny by the Quality Assurance Agency acting on behalf of HEFCE to ensure they meet the appropriate academic standards and that there is accountability for public funds.
	Further education capital investment is managed by the Skills Funding Agency who will assess all Skills Funding Agency projects to ensure proposed projects fit the educational case on which the projects intend to support.

EDUCATION

School League Tables

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to change arrangements for school league tables; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We will reform the annual school performance tables to ensure that a sharper and more authoritative set of data will be available to all parents in the future. We want the tables to demonstrate the standards that schools are achieving and the progress that pupils of all abilities are making. As part of our commitment to transparency, we will also publish a much wider range of data that the Department currently holds on schools.

School Discipline

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to improve standards of discipline in schools.

Nick Gibb: It is this Government's intention to give heads and teachers the powers they need to ensure discipline in the classroom and promote good behaviour. In a statement to the House on 7 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 11-12WS, I announced that we will take steps to strengthen teachers' powers to search pupils; issue shorter and clearer guidance on the use of force; and remove the requirement to give 24 hours' written notice when giving pupils detentions. We will also give teachers the strongest possible protection from false accusations.

Children of Armed Forces Personnel

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to improve access to school places for children of armed forces personnel; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Gove: The Government recognise the enormous contribution made by the armed forces, and are determined to support them. Fair access to school places is regulated by a statutory School Admissions Code, which already provides some priority for services children. I will consider whether the code needs to be amended and make an announcement in due course.

Free Schools

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many proposals for free schools his Department has received from groups in  (a) Weaver Vale constituency,  (b) the Halton borough council area and  (c) the Cheshire west and chester unitary Authority area.

Nick Gibb: As of 7 July the Department for Education had not received any proposals to establish free schools from groups in the Weaver Vale constituency, Halton borough council area or in the Cheshire west and Chester unitary authority area. I understand that the New Schools Network has received several hundred inquiries of which 38 have already let to formal proposals.

Free Schools

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether people may establish free schools in the form of grammar schools.

Nick Gibb: Current grammar schools are eligible for conversion to academies.

Free Schools

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what conditions the New Schools Network will be obliged to meet in assessing applications for the construction of new Free Schools.

Nick Gibb: The New Schools Network are providing advice and support to proposers interested in setting up Free Schools, on behalf of the Department. The role of the New Schools Network is to help interested groups develop their ideas and prepare to submit their proposal form, not to assess applications.
	The Department will assess proposal forms and consider whether they have the potential to lead to an acceptable business case and plan for the new school, which Ministers may approve. The decision which Ministers take will be based on the criteria published at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/freeschools/frequently-asked-questions#r1

Free Schools

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the likely number of successful applications for free school status to be processed by the end of 2010.

Nick Gibb: We have made no estimate of the likely number of successful applications for Free Schools that will be processed by the end of 2010. This will depend on the number of groups who come forward with proposals to set up new schools and how many of these groups successfully complete the rigorous application and approval process.

Academies Bill

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on the provisions of the Academies Bill.

Nick Gibb: We have received a number of representations relating to the provisions contained within the Academies Bill. These have included teacher representative organisations, the Special Education Consortium, the Church of England and the Catholic Education Service.
	Alongside these representations we have also had approaches from individual Peers and Members of this House.

Academies Bill

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of his Department's officials are working on the Academies Bill.

Michael Gove: A dedicated Bill team of five officials with support from a lead Bill lawyer are currently working on the Academies Bill. In addition, a number of other colleagues (policy officials, legal advisers and private office staff) spend some of their time working on the Bill alongside other responsibilities.

Academy Status

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many expressions of interest in academy status his Department has received from schools in  (a) Crawley constituency,  (b) the West Sussex local education authority area and  (c) England.

Nick Gibb: So far one expression of interest in academy status has been received from a school in Crawley constituency. Ten expressions of interest in academy status have been received from schools in West Sussex. A total of 1,836 expressions of interest have been received from schools in England.

Teach First Programme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of participants in the Teach First programme who have stayed in the teaching profession after completing the programme.

Nick Gibb: The most recent figures up to 2007 show that 416 Teach First participants remain in teaching in the UK after completing the programme. This represents 49% of all Teach First participants since 2003. Of the 416 that have remained in teaching, 240 are now in leadership positions within schools.

ContactPoint

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education from what  (a) local and  (b) national data sources information was collected for the ContactPoint database.

Tim Loughton: The basic information on ContactPoint was drawn from a number of national sources, including the General Register Office, the Department for Education's Schools Census, the child benefit database and the NHS Personal Demographics Service. In addition local authorities and national partners had begun to add information from a range of local sources, including social care systems.

Academies

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the application of the National Curriculum in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics,  (c) science and (d) ICT to teaching in academy schools; and what steps he plans to take on curriculum freedoms in academy schools.

Nick Gibb: Academies are not required to follow the National Curriculum. Academies will still be required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.

Academies

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which  (a) secondary,  (b) primary and  (c) special schools have applied to become academies under his recent proposals.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 June 2010
	We have released this information at:
	www.education.gov.uk/academies
	This list will be updated regularly.

Academies

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in England are academies; and how many such schools offer sixth form provision.

Nick Gibb: There are currently 203 academies open; 174 of these academies offer sixth form provision.

Academies: Food

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that academy schools meet the same requirements as other schools in respect of the  (a) provision of school meals and other food in schools and  (b) teaching about food and nutrition.

Nick Gibb: The freedom and autonomy enjoyed by academies is crucial to enabling them to drive up standards.
	We believe that academies should have the freedom to respond to parental demand and provide a high standard of food and an appropriate curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils. We will require academies to provide free school meals for pupils who are entitled to them in the same way as for maintained schools.

Academies: Tamworth

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools in Tamworth constituency are applying for academy status.

Nick Gibb: No schools in Tamworth have yet applied. The lists of schools that have expressed an interest in conversion to academy status have been published on the Department for Education website.

Academies: Wigan

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the allocation of funding to local education authorities where no school applies for academy status.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities currently receive funding for maintained schools through the dedicated schools grant, which is calculated using a guaranteed unit of funding (GUF) for each pupil in a local authority. The funding is distributed to schools using a local formula on which the local authority's Schools Forum is consulted.
	The Government have committed to changes to the funding system through the introduction of a pupil premium for disadvantaged pupils. We are reviewing if changes need to be made to the current funding system and we expect to be launching a consultation on school funding in the summer.

Care Proceedings

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much local authorities spent on residential assessments in care proceedings in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how much local authorities spent on psychiatrists' and psychologists' fees in care proceedings in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(3)  how much was incurred in costs by local authority legal departments in representing the authority in care proceedings in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(4)  how much was spent by local authorities on fostering children subject to care proceedings in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: Information about how much local authorities spend on residential assessments, psychiatrists' and psychologists' fees and legal representation in care proceedings and on fostering children subject to care proceedings is not collected centrally.

Care Proceedings

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service on the provision of guardians in care proceedings in each of the last five years; and what proportion of its budget this represents in each such year.

Tim Loughton: The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service's (CAFCASS's) funded expenditure for each year was:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2009-10 132.449 
			 2008-09 120.627 
			 2007-08 108.550 
			 2006-07 106.087 
			 2005-06 98.613 
		
	
	These figures comprise CAFCASS's grant in aid funding from the Department for Education and additional funding from the Department for specific activities. In this spending review period (2008-11), this additional funding has been for Contact Point and Family Contact Services.
	CAFCASS's allocated programme resource budget for 2010-11 is £138.2 million (including a one-off allocation of £10 million for service improvement). This excludes additional funding from the Department for specific activities.
	How CAFCASS spend their allocated budget each year is an operational matter for CAFCASS. The chief executive of CAFCASS, Anthony Douglas, will respond by letter to the hon. Member and a copy of his response will be placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated July 2010:
	I am writing to you in response to Parliamentary Question that you tabled recently:
	PQ005770: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service on the provision of guardians in care proceedings in each of the last five years; and what proportion of its budget this represents in each such year.
	Cafcass does not collect specific figures relating to how much is spent on the provisions of guardians in care proceedings. Cafcass practitioners work in both public and private law proceedings. Cafcass also utilises the services of approximately 300 self-employed contractors, most of which, work as children's guardians in care cases.
	Please note, there has been a significant increase in the past 18 months in care applications by local authorities and the total expenditure of Cafcass has also increased over the last 5 years, this is reflected in the table below.
	
		
			   Public law care requests  Total expenditure of Cafcass (£ million) 
			 2009/10 8,684 132.449 
			 2008/09 6,496 120.627 
			 2007/08 6,241 108.550 
			 2006/07 6,786 106.087 
			 2005/06 6,613 98.613

Children: Carers

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many households in South Thanet constituency a child under the age of 18 years fulfils the role of a carer for a disabled parent.

Tim Loughton: There is no central collection of local or national data on the number of children under the age of 18-years-old who provide care for a disabled parent.
	However, a 2004 study of 6,178 young carers (Chris Dearden and Saul Becker) found that half (50%) of those young people providing care were doing so for someone with a disability. The same research indicates that over two-thirds (70%) of young carers are caring for an adult.

Children: Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library a copy of each representation he has received from  (a) local authorities and  (b) children's organisations on his Department's decision to end the ContactPoint database.

Tim Loughton: We have confirmed with local authorities and other partners our firm intention to end the ContactPoint database as soon as is practicable. Both coalition partners' manifestos included a clear commitment to scrap ContactPoint, to fulfil a longstanding policy commitment, discussed with a wide range of interested organisations in recent years. We have consistently opposed a database, which contains details about all children in England, accessed by hundreds of thousands of people and we signalled our opposition in debates on the original legislation in the 2004 Children Act.
	The Department has received no representations from local authorities or children's organisations on this Government's decision. We will however continue to engage with and draw on the views of a wide range of organisations as we consider the scope for a more proportionate approach to protecting children most in need.

Children: Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on first quarter grant payments to local authorities in respect of the ContactPoint database in June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: We have confirmed with local authorities and other partners our firm intention to end the ContactPoint database as soon as is practicable. Both coalition partners' manifestos included a clear commitment to scrap ContactPoint, to fulfil a longstanding policy commitment. We are considering the scope for a more proportionate approach to protecting children most in need.
	In the interim, while ContactPoint remains in limited operation, my Department has provided guidance on what local authorities and partners should do to ensure the safe and legal operation. The Department has paid local authorities £3.75 million to cover costs of operating ContactPoint during the period April to June 2010. We are considering the extent of grant funding beyond this period, and more detailed plans on the way forward will be announced later in the summer.

Departmental Catering

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on catering in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Tim Loughton: The information requested is not separately identified within the Department's published resource accounts. Detailed records on catering expenditure are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the expenditure by his Department and its predecessors on  (a) organising and  (b) attending conferences in each year since 1997.

Tim Loughton: The information requested is not separately identified within the Department's published resource accounts. Detailed records on the costs of organising and attending conferences are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Furniture

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent on  (a) refreshments and  (b) furnishings in his private office in each year from 2005 to 2010.

Tim Loughton: The information requested on refreshments is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The amount spent on furnishings in the Secretary of State's private office in each year from 2005 to 2010 by the previous Government is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 Nil 
			 2006-07 21,039.10 
			 2007-08 1496.26 
			 2008-09 5232.32 
			 2010-11 Nil 
			 Total (inc VAT) 27,767.68 
		
	
	All spending is made in accordance with the principles set out in 'Managing Public Money' and the Treasury Handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Postal Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on postage in 2009.

Tim Loughton: In the period January-December 2009, the predecessor to the Department for Education, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, spent a total of £160,882 on postage directly and through its distribution partner.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of his Department's contracts with its suppliers are under review as a result of the recently announced reductions in public expenditure; and what the monetary value is of all such contracts which are under review.

Tim Loughton: We are in the process of identifying contracts for review from which savings can be made through renegotiation or termination. The total value of all those contracts or the potential savings will not be known until the scale of the activity is determined.
	Following this preparatory work a project plan will be produced detailing the potential costs and benefits along with a schedule of activity.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to analyse the distributional effect of the options for reductions in his Department's expenditure.

Tim Loughton: The Government set out in their document 'Spending Review Framework' that it will "look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions." (2.4, page 7)
	Further information will be available at the spending review.

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the  (a) name and  (b) version is of each computer software package used by his Department to calculate its expenditure on travel.

Tim Loughton: To calculate its expenditure on travel, the Department for Education (DfE) uses a set of software packages provided to it by the Department for Work and Pensions as part of the shared services agreement between the two Departments.
	The main software package used is the Oracle Resource Management system version 11.5.10, which itself uses two underpinning software systems (Discoverer and Discoverer Plus system versions 10G) to calculate and produce financial reports to budget holders and senior management on travel expenditure. These reports can also optionally be downloaded locally and converted into spreadsheet format using Microsoft Excel version 2003 which is installed on every computer.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to publish the report of the cross-government review of financial support for 16 to 18 year olds commissioned by his Department's predecessor; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department has published the Barriers to Participation in Education and Training research which was commissioned to inform the review on the Department's website on 24 June 2010. We have no plans to publish anything further. The evidence collected will inform the comprehensive spending review in the autumn.

Education: Finance

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had on education funding with the F40 group since his appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: I have not had any formal discussions with the F40 group since being appointed Minister for Schools, though I have met them in the past and spoke at their conference in Church House last November.
	I am aware that the F40 group represents the local authorities who received the lowest per pupil funding under the present funding system. This Government have already committed to changes to the funding system through the introduction of a pupil premium for disadvantaged children. As well as the premium, any changes to the funding system will need to support our policy objective of raising standards and closing the attainment gap between those from the richest and poorest in society. We expect to be launching a consultation on school funding in the summer.

Education: Finance

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the consultancy budget is for  (a) his Department and  (b) the education service in 2010-11.

Tim Loughton: The Department's budget for consultancy in 2010-11 is £54.5 million. This amount was allocated prior to the recent reductions in the budget of the Department and the forthcoming spending review may result in further changes being made.
	Separate figures for educational services beyond the immediate Department are not available.

Education: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for a further phase of the Children, Young People and Families Grant programme to fund work by the third sector to improve educational outcomes.

Tim Loughton: Decisions on the policy and funding priorities for the Department for Education including the future of the Children, Young People and Families Grant programme are still under consideration. As soon as we are in a position to provide clarity to organisations, we will, of course, make a formal announcement.

Education: Public Appointments

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people are employed as  (a) regional advisers on 14 to 19 education and  (b) support staff to 14 to 19 regional advisers.

Michael Gove: There are currently 11 14-19 regional advisers; one per English Government office region, a 14-19 rurality adviser and a 14-19 gender equalities adviser.
	Regional advisers do not have support staff, but work closely with Government offices and a number of regional and local partners.
	My letter to the right hon. Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls) of 7 June stated that the role of 14-19 advisers would not continue from September.

Foster Care

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to enable foster carers to continue to care for those who have been in foster care after they reach the age of 18; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Government are currently funding a programme of Staying Put 18+ pilots which support young people to stay with their foster carers up until the age of 21 so that they can make a more gradual transition into adulthood. The pilot is being evaluated by the University of Loughborough and we will use the evaluation evidence to help spread best practice among all local authorities.

Free School Meals

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools rated (i) outstanding and (ii) other than outstanding by Ofsted are eligible for free school meals.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 25 June 2010:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	The latest period for which published figures about maintained school section 5 inspection outcomes are available is the spring term of 2009/10. This answer, therefore, takes into account those schools which were open on 21 April 2010 and had received an inspection on or before 31 March 2010. This period spans two different school inspection frameworks, the first covering September 2005 to August 2009 and the second from September 2009 onwards.
	Information about the number of pupils on roll and the number of pupils eligible for free school meals in each school has been taken from the Department for Education's 2009 January School Census. The number on roll at each school has been adjusted, in line with Department for Education National Statistics, to remove part time pupils aged under five and any students aged 16 or over at the start of the academic year as they are not able to claim free school meals regardless of their economic circumstances. Information on which schools were open on 21 April 2010 has been taken from the Department for Education's Edubase system.
	In this answer the term 'secondary school' is used to cover maintained secondary schools including middle deemed secondary schools, academies and city technology colleges.
	On 31 March 2010 there were 22,249 schools open and eligible for a section 5 inspection in England. Two hundred and fifty-eight open schools which have not yet been inspected by Ofsted are excluded from this analysis, as are maintained nursery schools, special schools and pupil referral units. This leaves a pool of 16,904 primary schools and 3,189 secondary schools to contribute to this answer.
	Of those primary schools judged outstanding during their most recent inspection, 12.8% of pupils were recorded as eligible for free school meals. Of those primary schools that were judged good, satisfactory or inadequate during their latest inspection, 17.8% of pupils were recorded as eligible for free school meals.
	Of those secondary schools judged outstanding during their most recent inspection, 11.4% of pupils were recorded as eligible for free school meals. Of those secondary schools that were judged good, satisfactory or inadequate during their latest inspection, 14.7% of pupils were recorded as eligible for free school meals.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Free School Meals

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future  (a) eligibility for and  (b) funding available for the provision of free school meals.

Nick Gibb: All pupils who meet the current eligibility criteria will continue to receive free school meals. There are no current plans to extend free school meal eligibility or increase free school meal funding. We will look again at the case for any extension in the light of evidence from pilots of extended eligibility in Durham, Newham and Wolverhampton which are running until July 2011.

Free School Meals

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on which date he informed the Secretary of State for Health of the proposed decision not to extend entitlements to free school meals.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 July 2010
	 The Secretary of State for Health was informed of the decision not to take forward the previous Administration's significantly under-funded and unaffordable plan to extend eligibility to free school meals on 7 June. All children who are currently eligible for free school meals will continue to be eligible and we are continuing to support three pilots which are exploring the costs and benefits of extending eligibility. We shall review the case for any extension when we have that evidence.

Free School Meals: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average cost per pupil of providing free school meals in the North East for  (a) primary school children and  (b) secondary school children was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: This information is not held by the Department. It is for each local authority to decide what they charge for a school meal, based, for example, on the local cost of food, catering services, fuel costs and whether, and if so how much, they subsidise school meals. From this local authorities then decide how much cost they can apportion to a free school meal.
	However, the School Food Trust's latest survey of school food take up shows that the average school lunch prices in 2009 were £1.77 in the LA-catered primary sector and £1.88 in the LA-catered secondary sector.

Further Education

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Minister in his Department has responsibility for  (a) sixth form colleges and  (b) 14 to 19 year olds in further education colleges.

Nick Gibb: I am Minister responsible for sixth form colleges and 14 to 19-year-olds in further education colleges.

GCSE: Leicester

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils from each ethnic background gained five GSCEs at grades A* to C in Leicester local authority area in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The information required is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving five or more grades A*-C at GCSE including equivalents in selected years 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 White 35 38 41 43 53 
			 Mixed 45 50 48 53 63 
			 Asian 59 61 66 69 76 
			 Black 40 43 44 51 66 
			 Chinese 57 67 (2)- 89 100 
			 All pupils- 46 48 52 55 65 
			 (1) Includes pupils for whom ethnicity was not obtained or refused, or could not be determined. (2) Indicates that the figure was suppressed in order to protect pupil confidentiality as fewer than 10 pupils sat exams.  Source: National Pupil Database

Iraq

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the budget is of each current project in Iraq funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education funds no projects in Iraq.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he plans to publish the Sex and Relationships Education Guidance to Schools, issued for consultation in January 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the compatibility of his proposals for sex and relationship education with proposed guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on sex and relationships education within personal, social, health and economic education; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We are currently considering our approach to sex and relationships education and, in particular, how we take forward our manifesto commitment to ensure that the school curriculum includes teaching young people about sexual consent. Schools will need some guidance to support them in this, but it is too soon to say whether it will cover all of the issues that were included in the guidance that was published for consultation in January 2010, or the draft guidance published recently by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	Schools are required by law to 'have regard to' guidance issued by the Secretary of State. At present, that duty applies to the SRE guidance published in 2000.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what files his Department holds on  (a) sexual and reproductive health education and  (b) personal, social and health education; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Policy on abortion and sexual and reproductive health is a matter for my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health. In the case of Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education the Department maintains records in the normal way.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Hampstead and Kilburn constituency will not receive the pupil premium.

Nick Gibb: The Government are committed to the introduction of a pupil premium for disadvantaged children, and we will bring forward our proposals in due course.

Pupils: Heart Diseases

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many incidents of sudden cardiac arrest involving pupils on school property there were in each of the last five years; and how many such incidents resulted in death.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect these data.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much per pupil funding was allocated to Bury Metropolitan Borough Council for  (a) primary,  (b) secondary and  (c) special schools in each year from 1996-97 to 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: Per pupil revenue funding figures for primary school pupils in Bury (ages three to 10) are shown in the following table. These figures are in real terms and are based on financial years.
	
		
			  Real terms revenue funding per pupil (£)-SSA/EFS plus grants 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bury local authority 2,390 2,570 2,760 2,990 3,170 3,250 3,490 3,620 3,830 
			  Notes: 1. Price Base: real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 31 March 2010. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment/Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS. 3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged three to 10 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LA level. For those authorities in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 2004-05, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (2004-05). There will be a consequential reduction in DfES grant for these LAs in future years (either 2006-07 and 2007-08 or 2006-07 to 2008-09, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LA). 4. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations. 5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. 
		
	
	Per pupil revenue funding figures for secondary school pupils in Bury (ages 11 to 15) are shown in the following table. These figures are in real terms and are based on financial years.
	
		
			  Real terms revenue funding per pupil (£)-SSA/ EFS plus grants 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bury local authority 3,350 3,450 3,560 3,840 4,020 4,140 4,280 4,540 4,730 
			  Notes: 1. Price Base: real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 31 March 2010. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment/Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS. 3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 11 to 15 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LA level. For those authorities in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 2004-05, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (2004-05). There will be a consequential reduction in DfES grant for these LAs in future years (either 2006-07 and 2007-08 or 2006-07 to 2008-09, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LA). 4. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations. 5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. 
		
	
	Figures for special schools are not available on a comparable basis.
	Figures prior to 1997-98 are not available on a comparable basis.
	Since 2006-07, the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) has been the main source of school funding, and this does not allow a primary/secondary split of the figures. These figures are not comparable with those for earlier years because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	Per pupil unit of funding figures for 2005-06 to 2009-10 for Bury local authority are provided as follows. Finalised figures for 2010-11 are not yet available. The figures shown are for all funded pupils aged three to 19 and are in real terms:
	
		
			  Real terms funding per pupil (£)-DSG plus grants pupils aged three to 19 
			   2005-06( 1)  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Bury local authority 4,140 4,240 4,390 4,430 4,560 
			 (1) Baseline.  Notes: 1. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which are not allocated at LA level. 2. Price Base: real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 31 March 2010. 3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 19. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what grants his Department made to Bury Metropolitan borough council for schools outside the per pupil funding formula for each year from 1996-97 to 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: Tables have been placed in the Libraries, setting out the grants allocated to Bury Metropolitan borough council for schools for each year since 1996-1997. These grants were allocated in addition to per pupil formula funding allocated through the local government finance system up to 2005-2006, and Dedicated Schools Grant since 2006-07.

Pupils: Sikhs

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2010,  Official Report, column 428W, on pupils: Sikhs, by what date he plans to have completed consideration of the law and agreed practice on carrying kirpans in schools.

Nick Gibb: Cross-Government discussions with the Sikh community continue; these are expected to continue until after the summer recess, with decisions taken in the autumn.

Schools: Discipline

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what evidence his Department has assessed on the effects of no notice detentions on discipline in school.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 July 2010
	We will be consulting with many organisations in the development of discipline policy. The introduction of no notice detentions would not remove the requirement for schools to act reasonably when making the necessary arrangements for detentions.

Schools: Discipline

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with organisations representing children who are carers on no notice detentions.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 July 2010
	We will be consulting with many organisations in the development of discipline policy. The introduction of no notice detentions would not remove the requirement for schools to act reasonably when making the necessary arrangements for detentions.

Schools: Erewash

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received from  (a) headteachers,  (b) parents and  (c) charities in the borough of Erewash in favour of greater autonomy for schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department has received two registrations of interest from schools wanting further information on converting to academies-The Long Eaton School and Kirk Hallam Technology College. A list of all outstanding and non-outstanding schools that have registered an interest in converting to academy status was published on the Department's website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/academies/schools-registering-interest
	on 25 June. No other recent representations have been received from the borough of Erewash.

Schools: Finance

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on limiting  (a) the number of schools to receive grants,  (b) the amount of such grant and  (c) the terms of each grant he has the power to award to schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 July 2010
	 We have no plans to limit the number of schools that can receive grants. Decisions about which grant will be available to schools in the future will be taken as part of the next spending review process in the autumn.

Schools: Finance

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the total reserves held by schools in England; and what reserves were held by such schools in each financial year since 1985-86.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 July 2010
	 Local authority maintained schools in England had a total net revenue balance of £1.78 billion for the financial year 2008-09. The Government started to collect data on revenue balances from 1999-2000, when the figure was £741 million. The 1999-2000 figure does not include maintained nursery schools; these data were first collected in 2003-04. There are no relevant data for the years before 1999-2000.
	This information, along with breakdowns of surpluses and deficits at England, local authority and school level from 1999-2000 to present are currently available on the section 251 website at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/strategy/financeandfunding/informationforlocalauthorities/section52/schoolbalances/s52sb/

Schools: Leeds

George Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussion she has had with representatives of Leeds Local Authority on the future of Parklands Girls School in Leeds.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with representatives of Leeds local authority on the future of Parklands Girls School in Leeds. However, officials have had discussions with Education Leeds about the school in question and are awaiting a decision from Leeds city council about the future of Parklands Girls School following its publication of a statutory proposal on 16 April 2010 to close Parklands Girls School on 31 August 2011 and replace it with an academy opening on 1 September 2011.

Schools: Management

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of teaching posts there will be in free schools.

Nick Gibb: The number of teaching posts in free schools will depend on the number of groups who come forward with proposals to set up new schools, how many of these groups successfully complete the rigorous application and approval process and the staffing structures and size of the new schools.

Schools: Management

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education who will be responsible for the provision of services to pupils with special educational needs in free schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Like academies, the funding agreement contract will include provisions which require the school to have regard to the SEN Code of Practice and use best endeavours to meet any guidance on exclusions. Where a school fails to meet its SEN funding agreement obligations, the Secretary of State has the role of ensuring that those obligations are met. Disability discrimination legislation will also apply to free schools to prevent discrimination against disabled pupils and, as with other schools, free schools will have to make reasonable adjustments to prevent such discrimination.

Schools: Sports

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms are in place to prevent the sale or redevelopment of school sports facilities other than playing fields.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 29 June 2010
	The legislation that protects school playing fields, under section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, extends to all of a school's outdoor areas. No school or local authority in England can dispose or change the use of a school playing field or any part of a school playing field without the Secretary of State's consent. The legislation defines playing fields as land in the open air which is provided for the purposes of physical education or recreation, and includes playgrounds, hard games courts, social areas etc as well as grassed playing fields.

Schools: Standards

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the Black Country Challenge programme; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department has not taken any decisions on the Black Country Challenge programme.

Schools: Transport

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's budget is for 16 to 19  (a) school and  (b) transport for 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: No specific funding is provided by central Government to fund post-16 transport. Local authority statutory responsibilities for transport in relation to post-16 students are funded through revenue support grant and through income generated by councils, including council tax. Formula grant is not hypothecated to a particular service. Local authorities are free to use the funding in line with the wishes of their electorate to meet local needs while taking into account their statutory responsibilities.
	The Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) has also provided £12 million in 2010-11 (and in each of the previous four years) through the transport partnership fund to support the development of local innovative and sustainable transport projects.

Science: GCE A-level

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to encourage an increase in the number of students studying scientific subjects at A-Level.

Nick Gibb: The Government recognise that more needs to be done to inspire greater numbers of young people to study science subjects at A-level. The quality of teaching in schools will be a key factor in this and we have already made it clear we will seek to attract more science and maths graduates into teaching. We will also be looking at what more can be done to support this in our pursuit of a fairer education system including reform of curriculum and qualifications.

Sixth Form Colleges: Inspections

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the frequency of Ofsted inspections of sixth form colleges graded outstanding; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We want to give all outstanding schools and colleges freedom from bureaucracy. The Government are therefore working to remove the requirement for outstanding sixth form colleges to be subject to the routine cycle of Ofsted inspections, unless their performance drops.

Sixth Form Education

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many secondary schools graded as outstanding by Ofsted do not have a sixth form.

Nick Gibb: As of May 2010 there were 626 secondary schools that were graded as outstanding by Ofsted in their most recent inspection. Of these, 191 schools do not have a sixth form.

Sixth Form Education: Tamworth

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether each school in Tamworth constituency which has applied for academy status will be able to retain a sixth form if successful.

Nick Gibb: The plans for a new academy in Tamworth to open from September 2010 and for this academy to include an 860 place post-16 centre from September 2011 are well advanced. The post-16 centre would replace several school sixth forms and forms part of Staffordshire's cross-Tamworth proposals for secondary and post-16 education. We would want to consider how any application for academy status from other schools with sixth forms in Tamworth would impact on the new Tamworth Academy.

Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to improve the standard of training of teachers in respect of pupils with special educational needs.

Tim Loughton: The Government are committed to raising the status of the teaching profession and to moving to a high quality system of teacher recruitment and training.
	I am reviewing existing policies and programmes to make sure that they support our commitment to high quality teacher training including in respect of pupils with special educational needs.
	Teachers are able to increase their awareness of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) through information available to them about children with SEN as a result of the SEN Information Act 2008. The second report, following this Act, will be published in October 2010 and brings together information about children with SEN in one place.

Teachers: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the teacher to pupil ratio was in each school in Hartlepool constituency in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the within school pupil:teacher ratio (PTR) in each local authority maintained school in the Hartlepool constituency in each January from 2005 to 2009, the latest year for which information is available.
	
		
			  Pupil:teacher ratios (PTR)( 1,2)  in local authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools( 3) -Each January 2005 to 2009: Coverage: Hartlepool parliamentary constituency 
			  Pupil teacher ratio 
			  LAESTAB No.  School name  2005  200  2007  2008  2009 
			  Nursery   
			 8051013 Seaton Carew Nursery School 10.0 8.9 11.6 12.9 14.3 
			  Primary   
			 8052001 Hart Primary School 18.0 19.6 17.7 17.5 18.2 
			 8052090 Brougham Primary School 22.5 24.5 19.8 18.2 18.7 
			 8052126 Golden Flatts Primary School 22.3 19.5 20.1 18.5 16.6 
			 8052127 Jesmond Road Primary School 18.4 22.5 20.3 23.4 19.7 
			 8052151 Eldon Grove Primary School 23.9 232 22.3 18.8 19.4 
			 8052153 Lynnfield Primary School 22.2 22.3 21.8 21.8 19.7 
			 8052156 Stranton Primary School 22.6 20.4 18.5 17.4 18.1 
			 8052181 Ward Jackson Primary School 15.3 19.0 23.5 14.1 13.7 
			 8052182 Owton Manor Primary School 17.7 16.7 16.5 15.4 15.0 
			 8052187 Fens Primary School 26.1 24.2 23.2 23.6 24.2 
			 8052189 Kingsley Primary School 21.8 24.0 22.1 20.5 18.6 
			 8052211 St Helen's Primary School 19.6 22.6 20.3 20.2 21.5 
			 8052215 West View Primary School 20.7 22.7 20.0 18.1 19.0 
			 8052236 Throston Primary School 21.8 21.5 25.0 20.5 21.4 
			 8052237 West Park Primary School 24.6 22.7 23.5 22.9 24.2 
			 8052238 Clavering Primary School 22.6 22.6 19.6 21.8 20.6 
			 8052310 Barnard Grove Primary School 23.2 21.0 21.5 19.4 21.7 
			 8052341 Rift House Primary School 18.4 19.8 18.5 19.6 19.9 
			 8052342 Rossmere Primary School 22.2 19.5 24.7 27.5 19.1 
			 8052364 Grange Primary School 19.0 16.8 15.8 18.0 18.5 
			 8053003 Elwick Hall CofE Primary School 19.9 22.5 24.7 25.1 20.2 
			 8053006 Greatham CofE Primary School 19.5 19.5 19.6 20.5 19.3 
			 8053320 St Aidan's CofE Memorial Primary School 25.2 23.1 21.3 20.9 27.3 
			 8053321 Sacred Heart RC Primary School 26.8 25.3 23.8 25.2 22.3 
			 8053322 St Cuthbert's RC Primary School 25.4 25.7 27.4 23.1 25.1 
			 8053323 St Joseph's RC Primary School 26.8 24.4 20.7 18.6 18.5 
			 8053324 St Teresa's RC Primary School 22.9 21.0 21.6 22.5 23.1 
			 8053328 St Bega's RC Primary School 23.8 21.1 18.1 19.9 20.5 
			 8053329 St John Vianney RC Primary School 23.0 2 0.9 20.6 20.4 22.1 
			 8053330 Holy Trinity Church of England (Aided) Primary School 27.8 24.4 25.0 24.4 24.6 
			  Secondary   
			 8054000 St Hild's Church of England Voluntary Aided School 14.7 14.7 15.7 17.3 15.9 
			 8054130 Brierton Community School (A Specialist Sports College) 16.7 18.1 18.3 16.1 13.0 
			 8054131 Dyke House Comprehensive School 15.3 15.7 17.5 16.7 15.7 
			 8054133 High Tunstall College of Science 17.3 17.1 19.2 15.0 17.9 
			 8054134 Manor College of Technology 16.4 15.6 16.0 15.1 15.9 
			 8054603 The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College 15.5 15.6 15.5 15.6 14.8 
			  Special   
			 8057026 Catcote School 5.9 6.0 5.3 6.7 7.4 
			 8057027 Springwell School 7.1 5.4 5.8 4.9 5.0 
			 (1) For statistical purposes only, pupils who do not attend both morning and afternoon at least five days a week are regarded as part-time. Each part-time pupil is treated as 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE). (2) The within-school PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools. (3) There are no city technology colleges or academies in Hartlepool constituency.  Source:  School Census

Teachers: Retirement

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on raising the retirement age for secondary school teachers.

Nick Gibb: Under the provisions of the Teachers' Pension Scheme, the normal pension age (that is the age at which pension benefits can be accessed without any actuarial reduction) is 65 for those who joined the scheme on or after 1 January 2007; and 60 for those who were members of the scheme prior to that date. The point at which a teacher retires-which can be after or before the normal pension age-is, however, a matter for the individual to determine in discussion with their employer.
	The Government have set up an Independent Commission under the Chairmanship of Lord Hutton to conduct a fundamental structural review of public service pension provision, to ensure these provisions are sustainable and affordable in the long-term. Any future changes that may be made to the provisions of the Teachers' Pension Scheme will be informed by the outcome of this review.

Teachers: Training

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent progress has been made on the Training and Development Agency for Schools' review of the qualified teacher status standards.

Nick Gibb: The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) review of Qualified Teacher Status standards was put on hold due to the general election.
	We are currently undertaking a review of all of our policies and as soon as we are able to provide more information, we will, of course, make a formal announcement.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer Question  (a) 1938 and  (b) 1939, on the ContactPoint database, tabled on 8 June 2010.

Tim Loughton: I replied to the hon. Member's questions today.

Written Questions: Government Responses

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to provide a substantive answer to question 3825, on departmental public expenditure, tabled on 17 June 2010.

Tim Loughton: A response will be issued to the right hon. Member shortly.

Young People: Bradford

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his latest estimate is of the funding his Department will provide for Bradford's My place project, Culture Fusion over the lifetime of the project; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Bradford Myplace project was awarded a grant of £5,000,000 by BIG on behalf of the then Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in March 2009. The Department for Education (DFE) has not yet made a decision on the future of Myplace funding. However, the Government are committed to a full comprehensive spending review in the autumn and DFE Ministers are currently considering their spending priorities.

Young People: Unemployment

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the likely effects on levels of  (a) employment and  (b) deprivation in (i) Birmingham Erdington constituency and (ii) the Birmingham local authority area of recent reductions in area-based grant allocations to local authorities, including allocations to the Working Neighbourhoods Fund.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	Tackling the UK's record deficit is the Government's top priority, and we believe that it is right that local authorities make a contribution to the efficiency savings of £6.2 billion in 2010-11. We have adopted a fair approach to the reductions in grants and funding streams and have limited the amount councils lose. The impact on the area of reductions in grants this year will be for the local authority to decide. We have ensured that councils, including Birmingham, are able to deliver essential frontline services by making no changes to the £29 billion they receive through Formula Grant and by increasing flexibility for local spending decisions through removing restrictions on how they spend their money.

Youth Services: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what representations his Department has received from the National Lottery on grants to the My place project in Bristol for the purchase and refurbishment of a building;
	(2)  when he plans to decide on the approval of funding for the My place project in Bristol.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education has not yet made a decision on My place funding. The Big Lottery Fund have therefore deferred their confirmation of in-principle My place grants until a decision is made. The Government are committed to a full comprehensive spending review in the autumn and Ministers will shortly be considering their spending priorities.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Constituencies

David Blunkett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he plans to issue to the Boundary Commission on whether the whole of a local authority ward should fall within a single parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 24W, a Bill will be introduced before the summer recess to implement the coalition agreement commitment to make provision for the creation of fewer and more equal sized constituencies. The independent Boundary Commissions will draw those constituency boundaries. Detailed provisions will be included in the Bill and Parliament will have the opportunity to debate it in full.

Constituencies: Sheffield

Clive Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by what mechanism Sheffield constituencies will be drawn to ensure that all are within five per cent. of a target quota of registered electors without  (a) crossing local authority ward boundaries and  (b) first reviewing local authority ward boundaries.

Mark Harper: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 24W, a Bill will be introduced before the summer recess to implement the coalition agreement commitment to make provision for the creation of fewer and more equal sized constituencies. The independent Boundary Commissions will draw those constituency boundaries. Detailed provisions will be included in the Bill and Parliament will have the opportunity to debate it in full.

Diamond Jubilee 2012

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Government plan to announce the launch of the UK-wide competition for towns to bid for city status as part of the national celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee; what the timescale will be for applications; how many towns will be awarded city status in  (a) England,  (b) Wales,  (c) Scotland and  (d) Northern Ireland; and what criteria will be used to determine the successful towns.

Mark Harper: An announcement will be made in due course which gives further details of the national competition for city status. It would be inappropriate to give further details at this stage in the planning process.

Elections: Registration

David Blunkett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he plans to take to seek to ensure 100% electoral registration; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Government will be considering what steps can be taken to improve registration rates in the context of the implementation of Individual Electoral Registration in Great Britain.
	The Electoral Commission Report, "The completeness and accuracy of electoral registers in Great Britain", published in March 2010, reported that the registration rate in the United Kingdom was 91-92% (based on figures from 2000). The report also found that: "there was a decline in registration levels from the late 1990s to 2006. The same evidence base suggests that the registers have stabilised since 2006, although it is likely that the completeness of the registers has declined since the last national estimate in 2000."
	The report also says the process of estimating registration rates is an "imprecise science" and says that "All current approaches to estimating the completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers at a national level are imperfect", but that "The completeness of Great Britain's electoral registers remains broadly similar to the levels achieved in comparative countries."

Elections: Registration

David Hamilton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the total registered electorate in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland on 5 May 2011; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of that electorate expected to vote in local elections held on that date.

Mark Harper: The Government have not made such estimates.

Electoral Systems: Referendums

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to announce the proposed date for a referendum on the alternative vote; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced to the House on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 23-25, the Government intend that the referendum will be held on 5 May 2011. Further details and legislation will follow in due course.

Electoral Systems: Referendums

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the result of a referendum on the alternative vote is to be binding under his proposals for such a referendum.

Mark Harper: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced to the House on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 23-25, the Government intend that the referendum will be held on 5 May 2011. Further details and legislation will follow in due course. As indicated in that statement, the Bill will make explicit provision for the boundary commissions to report on more equally sized constituencies and for the process to be completed by the end of 2013. In the event of a vote in favour of the alternative vote in the referendum, the 2015 general election will be held on the new electoral system and according to the new boundaries.

JUSTICE

Ammanford Magistrates Court

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate has been made of the savings which will accrue to his Department as a result of the closure of Ammanford magistrates court.

Jonathan Djanogly: The 2009-10 operating cost of Ammanford magistrates court was £110,392. The closure of Ammanford court house would also remove the need for HMCS investment in backlog maintenance of around £45,000.
	An initial impact assessment has been produced for the consultations on proposals for provision of court services across the HMCS estate. This can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations.htm
	The impacts, costs and benefits of any court closures will be considered more fully during the consultation phase and a full impact assessment will be produced alongside the consultation responses.
	I must stress that no decision has yet been taken to close Ammanford magistrates court and I encourage responses to the public consultation that is ongoing and which closes on 15 September.

Annual Reports

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to his Department and its non-departmental public bodies was of printing annual reports in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: Annual reports and accounts, like all House of Commons papers, are produced and published according to long-established and sophisticated parliamentary procedures, with adherence to strict rules regarding the laying and subsequent publication of the completed document. The printing cost of the annual reports for MoJ HQ and its executive agencies are shown in the following table .
	HM Treasury cancelled the mandatory round of full Spring Departmental Report publication for 2010. With an advertising and marketing freeze in place, the printing of the department's annual reports has been put on hold.
	
		
			  Total printing costs per year 
			  £ 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Ministry of Justice 7,925 7,430 0 
			 Her Majesty's Court Service 5,492 11,253 0 
			 Tribunals Service 7,320 7,985 0 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 6,565 n/a 0 
			 National Offender Management Service 9,835 8,129 0 
			 n/a = not applicable, print in-house, not able to identify specific recharge 
		
	
	Ministry of Justice does not centrally collect information on the cost of all annual reports published by all non-departmental bodies and it could be given only at disproportionate cost. This would involve contacting a large number agencies associated with the department. Retrieving the data would involve searching their individual records.

Asbestos: Compensation

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to provide compensation for people who were exposed to asbestos and have developed asbestos-related diseases on the same basis as was planned by the previous administration.

Jonathan Djanogly: I can confirm that we will be proceeding with the implementation of the previously announced limited extra-statutory scheme to provide one-off payments of £5,000 to individuals who had begun, but not resolved, a legal claim for compensation for pleural plaques at the time of the House of Lords judgment. The detailed arrangements for the extra-statutory scheme, including details of the precise qualifying criteria, are still in the process of being finalised and we hope that the scheme will be in a position to start accepting claims as soon as possible.

Courts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the unused courtroom capacity in  (a) Retford,  (b) Worksop,  (c) Mansfield and (d) Sheffield magistrates court was in 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: The utilised and unutilised courtroom capacity at each of these courts is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Courtroom capacity April 2009 to March 2010 
			  Percentage 
			   Utilised  Unutilised 
			 Retford 29.5 70.5 
			 Worksop 48.8 51.2 
			 Mansfield 49.6 50.4 
			 Sheffield 69.4 30.6 
			  Note: The working assumption is that a courtroom is available 25 hours per week (five hours per weekday). These data come from an internal management system, are subject to our minimal levels of quality assurance and are based on the data currently available. 
		
	
	Courtroom utilisation is the time a courtroom is used, against the hours that a courtroom is available for use. Utilisation rates currently average 64% across the magistrates courts. The Government's aim is to increase utilisation of courtroom time to at least 80%.

Courts: Attendance

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the average cost to HM Courts Service of each non-attendance at court by a  (a) defendant and  (b) witness.

Jonathan Djanogly: We have no estimate of the average cost to HM Courts Service of non-attendance of defendants and witnesses at court. Courts manage their business in order to minimise the impact of non attendance by defendants and witnesses.
	Details of ineffective or cracked trials where defendants or witnesses do not attend are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Non-attendance of defendants and witnesses in criminal trials recorded in the magistrates courts, January 2010  to  March 2010, England and Wales 
			   Number/percentage 
			 Number of recorded trials where the defendant is absent 1,750 
			 Percentage of the trials listed where the defendant is absent 5 
			 Number of recorded trials where the witness is absent 1,811 
			 Percentage of the cases where the witness is absent 5 
			 Total number of trials 47,587 
			  Notes: 1. The figures correspond to trials only and exclude all non-attendance when trials did not occur. 2. The reasons for ineffective trial due to defendant being absent include the following reasons: Defendant absent-did not proceed in absence (judicial discretion) Defendant ill or otherwise unfit to proceed Defendant not produced by PECS Defendant absent-unable to proceed as defendant not notified of place and time of hearing 3. Witnesses are defined as both professional, police and other witnesses for both the defence and prosecution.

Departmental Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many buildings his Department occupies in  (a) London and  (b) the UK.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) records indicate that it has a total of 2,090 occupations within properties in the United Kingdom. Of these 278 are in London. The MoJ estate includes ownership and use of (or shared use of) a range of buildings, including prisons, approved premises, probation offices (both administrative and operational), Crown, county and magistrates' courts.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.

Departmental Human Resources

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on human resources in each year since 1997.

Kenneth Clarke: My Department spent £100.9 million in 2008-09 and £88.6 million in 2009-10 on human resources. The amount spent for the years 1997-2007 (prior to the establishment of the Ministry) could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Cars

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department are entitled to the use of (i) a car with a dedicated driver, (ii) a car from the Government car pool and (iii) a taxi ordered through a departmental account.

Crispin Blunt: There are no civil servants or special advisers in the Ministry of Justice entitled to the use of a car with a dedicated driver nor are any entitled to use a car from the ministerial car pool.
	MoJ staff, including Ministers and the Department's two special advisers have access to the use of a taxi ordered through departmental taxi accounts or to a car ordered through the Government Car and Despatch Agency, both the taxi account and the car and despatch agency may be used only in exceptional circumstances which may include:
	by the time you cease work either public transport is not available for your journey from work to home or it would not be reasonable to expect you to use public transport
	heavy baggage has to be transported for work-related reasons.

Departmental Reorganisation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Kenneth Clarke: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Training

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training has been provided for Ministers in his Department since the formation of the present administration; and at what cost.

Kenneth Clarke: Since the formation of the present administration, three Ministers in my Department have completed an 'Induction Workshop for New Ministers' run by the National School of Government. The National School of Government is funded through its core learning programme to deliver induction and other training to Ministers. There was no separate charge to my Department.
	In addition, one Minister is currently completing a National School of Government 'Finance in Government Workshop', at a total cost to my Department of £1,000.
	No other training has been provided for Ministers.

First Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were  (a) convicted of first offences and  (b) given a custodial sentence of six months or less for a first offence in each year since 2005.

Crispin Blunt: Figures for the total number of people who were convicted of their first offence (including indictable, triable-either-way and summary offences) and given a custodial sentence of six months or less for a first offence in each year since 2005 are presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people convicted in England and Wales courts for their first offence and sentenced to immediate custody of six months or less for their first offence 
			   Number of people who were convicted for their first offences  Number of people who were given a custodial sentence of six months or less for their first offence 
			 2005 102,439 3,310 
			 2006 100,208 2,922 
			 2007 98,065 3,054 
			 2008 91,935 2,987 
		
	
	Other information on trends in sentencing can be found in "Sentencing Statistics 2008" which was published on 28 January 2010 and can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	The figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large-scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Magistrates

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for how many hours magistrates sat in  (a) Worksop and  (b) Retford in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Hours sat in the magistrates courts 
			   Criminal  Civil  Other  Total 
			  2007-08 
			 Retford 767 72 0 839 
			 Worksop 1,137 116 8 1,261 
			  2008-09 
			 Retford 644.35 101.9 0 746.25 
			 Worksop 1,054.4 133.2 0 118.76 
			  2009-10 
			 Retford 599.71 131.7 0 731.41 
			 Worksop 973.8 236.1 0 1,209.9 
			  Note: Court level data are not available centrally pre April 2007. These data come from an internal management system, are subject to our minimal levels of quality assurance and are based on the data currently available.

Magistrates Courts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were heard at  (a) Retford and  (b) Worksop magistrates court in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information on completed cases is only available centrally at local justice area level for the last three years only. Information on completed cases in the Worksop and Retford local justice area over the last three years is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Period  Civil and family  Criminal  Means inquiries  Grand total 
			 2007-08 264 5,942 1,084 7,290 
			 2008-09 180 5,145 735 6,060 
			 2009-10 202 4,229 272 4,703 
			  Note: The data exclude Right to Representation Orders. The data come from an internal management system, are subject to our minimal levels of quality assurance and are based on the data currently available.

Magistrates Courts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were adjourned on the day of the case being heard in  (a) Retford and  (b) Worksop magistrates court in 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: It is not possible to provide information on the number of cases adjourned on the day of the case being heard. Information on the number of effective, ineffective and cracked trials at each of these courts in 2009-10 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Location  Trials  Effective  Effective trial rate (percentage)  Cracked  Cracked trial rate (percentage)  Ineffective trials  Ineffective trial rate (percentage) 
			 Retford 94 31 33 0 39 41.5 24 25.5 
			 Worksop 179 58 32.4 71 39.7 50 27.9 
			  Notes: 1. A cracked trial is where on the trial date, the defendant offers acceptable pleas or the prosecution offers no evidence. An ineffective trial is where a trial cannot progress on the trial date due to an error or omission by one or more of the organisations or individuals involved. A further hearing or new trial date will be arranged. 2. These data come from an internal management system, are subject to our minimal levels of quality assurance and are based on the data currently available.

Magistrates Courts: Closures

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect on the travelling time of  (a) magistrates,  (b) police and  (c) lawyers attending courts of the closure of Retford and Worksop magistrates courts.

Jonathan Djanogly: An initial impact assessment has been produced for the consultation on proposals for the provision of court services in the east midlands. The consultation paper and the initial impact assessment can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-cp08-10.htm
	The initial impact assessment states there may be a travel cost impact on users of magistrates and county courts and that fewer courts could increase journey times and costs for court users such as victims, witnesses, general public, businesses, solicitors, barristers, police and NOMS-both probation services and prisoner transfers. However, consolidation of the court estate both in terms of function as well as location could mean that some court users will make fewer trips to court, e.g. CPS officers and solicitors may have to travel to fewer courts, and so lessening the overall impact. Fewer courts may also reduce the need for duty solicitors, decreasing costs incurred by the Legal Services Commission.
	The impacts, costs and benefits of court closures will be considered more fully during the consultation phase and a full impact assessment will be produced alongside the consultation responses.

Magistrates Courts: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases he estimates will be heard in magistrates courts in Nottinghamshire in each of the next three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Public consultations on the delivery of courts services in England and Wales were announced on 23 June. These proposals include the closure of a number of magistrates and county courts, five of which are in the Nottinghamshire area. Decisions on case transfer will not be made until after the Lord Chancellor makes decisions on which of these courts ought to be closed and when. Such decisions will need to take into account court workload across all of the east midlands area, No estimate has therefore been made of the number of cases likely to be heard in magistrates courts in Nottinghamshire over the next three years.
	Should any court be closed, a full implementation plan will be produced to ensure the smooth transfer of work.

Offenders: Deportation

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the deportation of foreign national prisoners.

Kenneth Clarke: I have held general discussions about the deportation of foreign national prisoners with the Home Secretary and other ministerial colleagues. I am keen to continue to develop with ministerial colleagues plans to reduce the burden of foreign national offenders in the criminal justice system.

Offensive Weapons: Prosecutions

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been prosecuted for carrying an offensive weapon or bladed article in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in the Kent police force area for possession of offensive weapons or having an article with a blade or point in a public place, 2004 to 2008 (latest available), is given in the following table.
	Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	Data for 2009 are planned for publication on 21 October 2010.
	
		
			  Persons proceeded against at magistrates courts in the Kent police force area for offences of possession of offensive weapons and having an article with a blade or point( 1) , 2004 - 08( 2,3) 
			   Number 
			 2004 191 
			 2005 189 
			 2006 187 
			 2007 161 
			 2008 289 
			 (1) Includes offences under the following statutes: Prevention of Crime Act 1953-section 1 Criminal Justice Act 1988-section 139(2) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996-section 4(1) Criminal Justice Act 1988-section 139 Criminal Justice Act 1988-section 139A(1) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996-section 4(1).  (2) The figures given relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons currently imprisoned gave addresses in Bassetlaw constituency in court at the time of the trial for the offence for which they were convicted.

Crispin Blunt: Information held on prisoners does not record home addresses provided on arrival or discharge from courts but does include an address provided on first reception in to prison.
	As of 14 May 2010, based on this information there were 87 prisoners serving a custodial sentence and three prisoners who were convicted awaiting sentence that have an address in the Bassetlaw constituency area. These figures include both male and female prisoners and young offenders and juveniles.

Prisons

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to the public purse of a place in a prison at category (a) A, (b) B, (c) C and (d) D was in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The four categories A to D are security categories related to individual prisoners and prison costs are not analysed by these categories. Prison costs are classified by the main function of the prison which does not entirely correspond with the four security categories. The following table provides the following average costs per place for 2008-09 (the last year for which figures are available).
	
		
			  Total average cost per place 
			  Category  £ 
			 Male dispersal 70,000 
			 Male category B 38,000 
			 Male category C 38,000 
			 Male local 50,000 
			 Open 32,000 
			 Semi open 37,000 
			 Male closed YOI (15-21) 48,000 
			 Male YOI Young people 58,000 
			 Male open YOI 42,000 
			 Female closed 52,000 
			 Female local 53,000 
			 Cluster 40,000 
			  Note: Figures to nearest £1,000 
		
	
	The average costs given above include expenditure on public and private prisons (as recorded in the National Offender Management Service Agency Annual Report and Accounts 2008-09), increased by an apportionment of relevant costs borne centrally and in the regions by NOMS. This involves some estimation. The figures do not include the cost of prisoners held in police or court cells under Operation Safeguard, nor expenditure met by other Government Departments (e.g. Health and Education). The prisoner escort service costs are included.
	Cost per place is based on the Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) at the prisons in these functions.

Prisons: Population

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people he expects will be in prison in each of the next three years.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice produces annual projections of the prison population in England and Wales, most recently in August 2009. These project the prison population under three different scenarios (high, medium and low), based on different assumptions about future sentencing trends. The projected populations in the next three years (at the end of June) are in the following table. Although the published prison population projections did not anticipate the change in March 2010, the figures provided here incorporate the impact of the ending of End of Custody Licence (ECL).
	
		
			  Projected prison population (end of June figures) 
			   High  Medium  Low 
			 2011 89,800 88,100 86,100 
			 2012 91,400 88,900 86,100 
			 2013 92,300 88,800 85,200

Sentencing: Knives

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on compulsory prison sentences for convictions relating to knife crime; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: No such representations have been received. But we will be looking at sentencing for knife crime as part of the comprehensive assessment of sentencing policy to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, punishing offenders and cutting re-offending.

Shoplifting

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the future of penalty notices for offences related to shoplifting.

Crispin Blunt: We will be considering our approach to all out of court disposals, including fixed penalty notices for shoplifting, as part of the sentencing assessment.
	Under our programme for government for the next five years, we will conduct a full assessment of sentencing policy to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, obtaining justice for victims and cutting reoffending.

Stop And Search: Ethnic Groups

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many stops and searches of individuals from each ethnic background, have been conducted in Walsall South constituency in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: Data are not available at constituency level. However, the accompanying tables show the number of Stop and Searches (section 1, 60 and 44) in 2008-09 for the West Midlands police force area. Statutory powers exist under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), for a police officer to search a person or vehicle without first making an arrest. Other police powers not under PACE include Stops and Searches in anticipation of violence (under section 60 of Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994) and searches of pedestrians, vehicles and occupants (under sections 44(1) and 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000).
	
		
			  Stop and Search of persons under s1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, and other legislation, by self defined ethnicity, 2008-09 
			   Ethnicity  West Midlands  England and Wales 
			 White White British 12,460 691,849 
			  White Irish 121 8,489 
			  Other White 284 64,933 
			 
			 Black or Black British Black African 438 50,246 
			  Black Caribbean 2,504 75,721 
			  Other Black 665 42,799 
			 
			 Asian or Asian British Bangladeshi 524 19,309 
			  Indian 1,566 22,888 
			  Pakistani 4,832 31,273 
			  Other Asian 524 26,589 
			 
			 Mixed Mixed African 59 3,128 
			  Mixed Asian 160 3,203 
			  Mixed Caribbean 872 16,477 
			  Other Mixed 155 9,187 
			 
			 Chinese or other Chinese 68 3,356 
			  Other 155 11,256 
			 
			  Not Stated 2,285 62,060 
			 
			  Total 27,672 1,142,763 
		
	
	
		
			  Stop and Search of persons or vehicles under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, by self-defined ethnicity, 2008-09 
			   Ethnicity  West Midlands  England and Wales 
			 White White British 181 53,078 
			  White Irish 2 889 
			  Other White 13 9,684 
			 
			 Black or Black British Black African 66 17,681 
			  Black Caribbean 160 19,099 
			  Other Black 32 10,647 
			 
			 Asian or Asian British Bangladeshi 64 6,585 
			  Indian 74 3,455 
			  Pakistani 250 4,903 
			  Other Asian 37 6,353 
			 
			 Mixed Mixed African 18 701 
			  Mixed Asian 4 406 
			  Mixed Caribbean 39 2,978 
			  Other Mixed 24 1,654 
			 
			 Chinese or other Chinese 4 345 
			  Other 7 1,631 
			 
			  Not Stated 56 9,866 
			 
			  Total 1,031 149,955 
		
	
	
		
			  Stop and Search of pedestrians and vehicles and occupants under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, by self-defined ethnicity, 2008-09 
			   Ethnicity  West Midlands  England and Wales 
			 White White British 0 73,206 
			  White Irish 0 2,201 
			  Other White 0 41,966 
			 
			 Black or Black British Black African 0 10,151 
			  Black Caribbean 0 6,776 
			  Other Black 0 5,123 
			 
			 Asian or Asian British Bangladeshi 0 5,247 
			  Indian 0 9,781 
			  Pakistani 0 5,694 
			  Other Asian 0 10,054 
			 
			 Mixed Mixed African 0 526 
			  Mixed Asian 0 811 
			  Mixed Caribbean 0 960 
			  Other Mixed 0 2,210 
			 
			 Chinese or other Chinese 0 3,141 
			  Other 0 5,590 
			 
			  Not Stated 0 13,571 
			 
			  Total 0 197,008 
			  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Criminal Justice Reform Analytical Services (CJR-AS)

Surcharges

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who the beneficiaries have been of the victim surcharge since it was introduced.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows how funding was committed from Victim Surcharge receipts each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10. Any shortfall has been met from savings in other areas of the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Recipient  Department  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Independent Domestic Violence Adviser Services Ministry of Justice 3 million 2.6 million 2.6 million 
			 Witness Care Units Crown Prosecution Service 3 million 2.6 million 2.6 million 
			 Victim Support Plus Ministry of Justice 5.7 million 7 million 6.2 million 
			 Victims Fund(1) Ministry of Justice and the Home Office (2)1.75 million (3)1.75 million (4)1,770474 
			 Grand total - l3.45 million 13.95 million 13,170,474 
			 (1) The Victims Fund provides funding for voluntary organisations supporting victims of sexual violence, murder/manslaughter and hate crime. For 2009-10 this was combined with £1 million funding from the Government Equalities Office. The fund is allocated annually via competitive tender. (2) £1.25 million Sexual violence, £250,000 Hate Crime and £250,000 Homicide. (3) £1.25 million Sexual violence, £250,000 Hate Crime and £250,000 Homicide. (4) £1.25 million Sexual violence, £250,000 Hate Crime and £270,474 Homicide.

Trespass

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward plans to create a new criminal offence of intentional trespass to enable people occupying property without the landowner's permission to be removed without the need for a court order.

Crispin Blunt: The Government are considering how the law might be strengthened, not least around intentional trespass but, as yet, no firm decisions have been made. Any change to the law in this area would need to be considered against other commitments in the coalition agreement, and we would need to investigate fully the public service resource implications of any change, taking account of the current financial situation.

CABINET OFFICE

Bowel Cancer

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged between 50 and 59 years were diagnosed with bowel cancer in each year since 2001.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people aged between 50 and 59 years were diagnosed with bowel cancer in each year since 2001.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of bowel cancer (incidence) are for the year 2007. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	Table 1 provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of bowel cancer in England for persons aged between 50 and 59 years, in each year from 2001 to 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1. Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of bowel cancer( 1) , persons aged between 50 and 59 years, England( 2) , 2001 to 2007( 3) 
			   Number 
			 2001 3,334 
			 2002 3,297 
			 2003 3,273 
			 2004 3,393 
			 2005 3,539 
			 2006 3,485 
			 2007 3,321 
			 (1) Bowel cancer is another name for colorectal cancer. Both are coded as C18-C20 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on boundaries as of 2010. (3) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year.

Departmental Buildings

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on office refurbishment in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the expenditure of his Department on  (a) organisation of and  (b) attendance at conferences in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Directors

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the implications for departmental accountability to select committees of the House of the introduction of non-executive directors to the enhanced boards of Government departments.

Francis Maude: The appointment of non-executive directors does not affect the established lines of accountability to Parliament. Ministers remain accountable to Parliament for the decisions and actions of their Departments. Permanent secretaries continue to have a personal responsibility to the Public Accounts Committee for the propriety and regularity of the public finances for which he or she is responsible.

Departmental Directors

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what changes the Government's lead non-executive director plans to make to the enhanced role of non-executive directors on departmental boards; and on what statutory basis.

Francis Maude: The role of non-executive directors on departmental boards is set out in the enhanced departmental boards protocol, which has been published on the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/news_releases/2010/100630-browne/protocol.aspx
	Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. There is no statutory basis for this role.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent  (a) in total and  (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office employs 3.4 FTE staff to ensure compliance with all relevant equality legislation, provide advice on employment policy and promote equality and diversity across the civil service and within the Department. Of this, a small central team of 2.6 FTE staff are responsible for working with other Government Departments to promote diversity and equality in employment in the civil service; 0.8 FTE staff are responsible for diversity and equality issues within the Cabinet Office.

Departmental ICT

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on information and communication technology in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on website design in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his  (a) Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on logo design in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Cars

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office.

Francis Maude: Details of expenditure in 2010-11 will only be available when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2011 summer recess.

Departmental Reorganisation

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Francis Maude: There are no plans in place to relocate Cabinet Office staff to Bassetlaw.

Departmental Security

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on security in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Utilities

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) electricity, (ii) water, (iii) heating and (iv) telephone services in each year since 1997.

Francis Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what factors determine the allocation of questions for written answer to each Minister in his Department.

Francis Maude: The List of Ministerial Responsibilities published on 1 July 2010,  Official Report, column 47WS. sets out the responsibilities of Ministers within the Cabinet Office.

Electoral Register

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to encourage  (a) young people and  (b) people from black and minority ethnic groups to enrol on the electoral register.

Mark Harper: Under Section 9 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, Electoral Registration Officers have a duty to maintain a register of parliamentary electors and a register of local government electors. They also have a duty to encourage participation by electors in the democratic process and to target under-registered groups in their local authority area.
	The Electoral Commission promotes public awareness of registration and produces research and reports on electoral registration issues. The commission ran a campaign before the general election which was targeted at under-registered groups including:
	Young people aged 16-24
	Recent home movers
	People living in privately rented accommodation
	Certain black and minority ethnic groups
	Students.
	The Government are considering what further steps could be taken to boost registration rates in the context of the implementation of Individual Electoral Registration in Great Britain.

Intestacy

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office in what percentage of deaths the deceased died intestate in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures are not kept on the number of people who die with or without leaving a will in England and Wales. However, figures are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the number of deaths registered each year in England and Wales and by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on the number of grants of representation issued each year in the estates of deceased persons where there is no will. A grant is the court's authority issued to the deceased's personal representatives to administer the estate. All those covered by the MoJ figures have died intestate, but there may be more people who have died intestate but no grant of representation is issued. The figures are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Death registered in England and Wales (Mortality statistics: Deaths registered for 2007 and 2008. Figures for 2009 provided by ONS)  Grants issued where there is no will (Judicial and Courts Statistics for 2007 and 2008. Figures for 2009 as before)  Intestate estates (minimum) (percentage) 
			 2007 504,052 76,693 15 
			 2008 509,090 52,510 10 
			 2009 491,348 42,696 9

OGC Buying Solutions: Official Hospitality

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what costs OGC Buying Solutions incurred in  (a) sponsoring the procurement covered at the Local Government Chronicle Awards 2010,  (b) providing publicity for such sponsorship and  (c) providing travel, accommodation or subsistence payments to persons attending the awards ceremony.

Francis Maude: This event was held under the last government. The costs incurred by Buying Solutions for sponsorship of the Local Government Chronicle Awards were £21,000; publicity was included in this overall cost.
	Travel, accommodation and subsistence payments to persons attending the awards ceremony amounted to £722.69.
	Buying Solutions is now subject to the same marketing and advertising freeze as the rest of Whitehall and no new sponsorship contracts will be signed this year.

Payment-by-Results

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to publish the terms of the Central Office of Information's consultation on payment-by-results; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: I have asked the chief executive of the Central Office of Information to write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Mark Lund, dated 12 July 2010:
	As Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question 6337 regarding the terms of the Central Office of Information's consultation on payment-by-results.
	A copy of the terms of the consultation on payment-by-results will be published when it has been completed.